IRLF 


137 


*f    M 


STORIES 

FROM 

JR  HISTORY 


JOHNT. 


THE  LIST  PRICE 


OF  THIS  BOOK  IS.-. 


-- 


4.. 


©  The  Curtis  Publishing  Company,  from  a  Copley  Print.     ©  Curtis  &  Cameron,  Boston 
PRISCILLA  AND  JOHN  ALDEN 


REAL  STORIES  FROM 
OUR  HISTORY 


ROMANCE  AND  ADVENTURE  IN 

AUTHENTIC   RECORDS  OF 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF 

THE  UNITED  STATES 


BY 


JOHN  T.  FARIS 

AUTHOR  OF  "WINNING  THE  OREGON  COUNTRY 
"THE  ALASKAN  PATHFINDER,"  ETC. 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON     •     NEW   YORK     •    CHICAGO     •     LONDON 
ATLANTA     •     DALLAS     •     COLUMBUS     •     SAN    FRANCISCO 


COPYRIGHT,  1916,  BY  JOHN  T.  FARIS 
ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 


216.9 


r 


QEfte   gtftenaum 

G1NN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO 
PRIETORS  •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


In  its  report  to  the  National  Education  Association, 
the  Committee  of  Eight  on  the  Study  of  History  in  the 
Elementary  Schools,  appointed  by  the  American  Historical 
Society,  said,  "  Our  history  teaching  in  the  past  has  failed 
largely  because  it  has  not  been  picturesque  enough." 

The  committee  also  outlined  a  method  by  which  the 
lacking  element  could  be  supplied.  Among  other  things 
this  was  said,  "  Only  typical  events  should  receive  em 
phasis,  and  these  should  be  so  grasped  and  so  presented 
as  to  make  definite  impression." 

Emphasis  was  laid  on  "the  giving  of  a  sense  of  reality 
and  appealing  to  the  feelings"  by  "  reading  source  material 
like  letters,  journals,  diaries  and  other  personal  accounts 
from  the  pens  of  men  and  women  who  took  part  in  the 
events  they  narrate  or  witnessed  the  scenes  they  portray," 
and  by  the  interpretation  of  these  sources. 

In  preparing  "  Real  Stories  from  Our  History "  the 
author  has  kept  in  mind  this  report  which  voiced  the  plea 
made  by  teachers  for  books  that  would  give  human  interest 
to  facts  that  to  many  seem  remote  and  colorless. 

In  many  cases  the  facts  in  this  volume  have  been  drawn 
from  original  sources.  Parts  of  journals  and  diaries  have 
been  presented  and  interpreted.  The  effort  has  been  made 
to  give  vivid  pictures  of  the  life  of  the  colonists,  to  tell  stories 
of  the  pioneers,  and  to  suggest  stages  in  the  development 

544232 


vi         REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

of  the  country  by  describing  the  changing  means  of  trans 
portation  and  communication.  In  most  cases  the  stories 
center}  about/  $%":iiiah  or  the  woman  who  is  vitally  con 
nected  .with,. the  incicleJits  told. 

\  :  tfe"  author  igritpfyliy  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to 
the  following  publishers  and  authors  for  the  use  of  copy 
righted  material :  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons  :  "  Life  and  Jour 
nals  of  J.  J.  Audubon "  ;  Bonsai's  "Edward  Fitzgerald 
Beale."  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  :  Bowne's  "  A  Girl's  Life 
Eighty  Years  Ago"  ;  Scribners  Magazine :  Vaughn's  "  The 
Thirtieth  Anniversary  of  a  Great  Invention."  The  Mac- 
millan  Co. :  Schafer's  "  History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest "  ; 
Johnson's  "  Old  Time  Schools  and  School  Books  "  ;  Chan- 
ning  and  Lansing's  "  Story  of  the  Great  Lakes  "  ;  Spears' 
"  Story  of  the  New  England  Whalers."  The  Burrows 
Brothers  Co. :  Wagner's  "  Adventures  of  Zenas  Leonard." 
Preston  and  Rounds  Co.  :  Isham  and  Brown's  "  Early 
Connecticut  Houses."  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co. :  Houghton's 
Expedition  of  the  Donner  Party  "  ;  Bradley's  "  Story  of  the 
Pony  Express."  The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Co. :  "  Fordham's  Per 
sonal  Narrative "  ;  Hulbert's  '"  The  Cumberland  Road." 
Houghton  Mifflin  Co.  :  "  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  His  Letters 
and  Journals."  The  Yale  University  Press  :  Farrand's  "  A 
Journey  to  Ohio  in  1810."  The  Grafton  Press  :  Buckman's 
"  Old  Steamboat  Days  on  the  Hudson."  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  Co.  :  Talbot's  "The  Railway  Conquest  of  the  World.". 
Little,  Brown,  and  Co.  :  Crawford's  "  Social  Life  in  Old 
New  England."  Sachse's  "  The  Wayside  Inns  of  the  Lan 
caster  Roadside."  Henry  Holt  and  Co.:  Carter's  "When 
Railroads  were  New."  Hurst  and  Co.  :  Kennedy's  "Won 
ders  and  Curiosities  of  the  Railway." 


CONTENTS    ]  •- 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    COMING  TO  THE  COLONIES 3 

II.  FIRST  EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NEW  LAND    ....  10 

III.  THE  HOUSES  OF  THE  COLONISTS 17 

IV.  WITH  THE  CAROLINA  EXPLORERS 24 

V.    GOING  TO  CHURCH  IN  EARLY  DAYS 29 

VI.  GOING  TO  SCHOOL  IN  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND   ...  38 

VII.    CARRIED  AWAY  BY  THE  INDIANS 45 

VIII.   THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A  GREAT  CITY 52 

IX.  AN  EARLY  HOME  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA     ....  60 

X.   THE  OLDEST  LIBRARY  IN  AMERICA 66 

XI.   A  ROMANCE  OF  COLONIAL  DAYS 71 

XII.  THE  HEART  OF  AN  EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY  GIRL    .  77 

XIII.  WHALE-FISHING  IN  COLONIAL  DAYS 85 

XIV.  ADVENTURES  OF  AN  EARLY  FUR  TRADER      ...  93 
XV.   WHEN  THE  WEST  WAS  NEW 98 

XVI.  WHEN  LOUISIANA  WAS  BOUGHT  FROM  FRANCE       .  104 

XVII.  AN   ENGLISH   IMMIGRANT'S   JOURNEY   TO    ILLINOIS 

TERRITORY no 

XVIII.  GLIMPSES  OF  WESTERN  PIONEER  LIFE      .     .     .     .  116 

XIX.   THE  RED  RIVER  RAFT 121 

XX.   A  DAY  IN  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  TEXAS 127 

XXI.    ON  AN  OLD  STAGE  ROAD 134 

XXII.   A  PIONEER  TRAVELER  ON  THE  ROAD 141 

XXIII.  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  CANAL  BUILDER    ....  147 

vii 


viii      'REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIV.    WHEN  THE  CANAL  WAS  IN  ITS  GLORY    ....  154 

..XXV.  ,TjiE.G,REA-r  NATIONAL  ROAD 161 

*ACK.GS£  T-H'E  PLAINS  IN  1846 169 

":  '*•  :Tter  Jofrrney 169 

!  II.  S-tanvittg  in  the  Snow 176 

III.   Finding  a  Home 182 

XXVII.   THE  FIRST  BEARER  OF  CALIFORNIA  GOLD      .     .  191 

XXVIII.   THE  PONY  EXPRESS 196 

XXIX.   THE  FORGOTTEN  CAMEL  CORPS 201 

XXX.    FREIGHTING  ON  THE  PLAINS 207 

XXXI.   THE  FIRST  VESSEL  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES       .     .  213 

XXXII.   A  DISAPPOINTED  INVENTOR 220 

XXXIII.  THE  FIRST  PRACTICAL  STEAMBOATS 229 

XXXIV.  EARLY  STEAMBOAT  DAYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES  236 
XXXV.    THE  FIRST  STEAMBOAT  ON  THE  OHIO     ....  242 

XXXVI.    EARLY  RAILROAD  DREAMERS 250 

XXXVII.    TESTING  EARLY  STEAM  LOCOMOTIVES     ....  256 

XXXVIII.   A  PIONEER  RAILROAD       262 

XXXIX.   THE  BUILDING  OF  ft  OLD  IRONSIDES  "     .     .     .     .  269 

XL.    PRIMITIVE  RAILROAD  CONTRIVANCES       ....  276 

XLI.   THE  FIRST  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILROAD       .     .  283 

XLII.   THE  STORY  OF  THE  TELEGRAPH 290 

XLIII.   THE  MARVELOUS  HISTORY  OF  THE  TELEPHONE  .  295 

INDEX                                             3°3 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Priscilla  and  John  Alden Frontispiece 

The  Company  of  the  Pilgrims 4 

Model  of  the  Half  Moon,  Henry  Hudson's  Ship 6 

John  Winthrop 1 1 

Indian  Village 14 

Cellar-Houses 18 

Primitive  Sleeping  Quarters 20 

In  the  Kitchen 21 

A  Seventeenth-Century  House 22 

A  Landing  in  the  Province  of  Carolina 26 

St.  David's  Church,  Radnor,  Pennsylvania 30 

Pilgrims  going  to  Church 33 

Interior  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  Philadelphia 35 

Old  Swedes  Church,  Philadelphia 36 

An  Old  Schoolhouse 39 

The  Plantation  School  where  Thomas  Jefferson  learned  to  Read  41 

Interior  of  a  Colonial  Schoolhouse  at  Valley  Forge,  Pennsylvania  43 

The  Garrison  House 46 

The  Dustin  Memorial 48 

Hannah  Dustin's  Application  for  Church  Membership  ....  49 

Type  of  William  Penn's  Ship,  Welcome 53 

Penn's  Treaty  with  the  Indians 54 

The  Old  Courthouse,  Philadelphia 56 

The  Letitia  Penn  House 57 

An  Early  Treaty  with  the  Indians 58 

The  Home  in  the  Garden  of  Delight 61 

The  Cypress  in  Bartram's  Garden  as  it  was  in  1875 63 

William  Penn's  Desk 68 

Brainerd  preaching  to  the  Indians 72 

On  the  Way  to  her  Marriage 75 


x          REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

PAGE 

A  Belle  of  the  Colonies 79 

A  Sampler  done  by  Clarissa  Emerson 8 1 

The  Chase 86 

"  Cutting  in  "  a  Whale 87 

Abandoned  Whaling  Ships  in  the  Ice 90 

The  Whaling  Fleet 91 

Interrupted 94 

Lewis  and  Clark  on  the  Upper  Missouri       .     .     .     .  •  .     .     .     .  101 

New  Orleans  in  1803 105 

The  Cabildo,  the  Spanish  Courthouse  in  New  Orleans  ....  108 

On  the  Road  in  Early  Days.    The  Conestoga  Wagon     .     .     .     .  in 

Pioneers  on  a  Flatboat 113 

A  Pioneer  Gristmill 119 

Tearing  away  the  Raft 1 23 

General  Sam  Houston 128 

The  Alamo,  San  Antonio,  Texas 130 

At  the  Philadelphia  Terminus 135 

Model  of  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh  Stagecoach 138 

Conestoga  Wagon.    "  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh  20  Days  "     .     .  139 

Crossing  the  Alleghenies 143 

On  the  Old  Patowmack  Canal 148 

Within  Sight  of  Washington 149 

George  Washington's  Coach 152 

A  Packet  Boat  on  the  Erie  Canal 156 

The  Iron  Steamboat  R.  F.  Stockton 158 

Mail  Coach,  Washington  to  Columbus 163 

One  of  the  Massive  Bridges 165 

Pioneers  on  the  Plains 171 

At  the  End  of  the  Day 174 

A  Rest  by  the  Way 177. 

rf  Westward  the  Course  of  Empire  takes  its  Way  " 185 

San  Francisco  in  1849 193 

A  Pony  Express  Rider  on  the  Lookout  for  Indians 199 

The  Camel  Corps  in  the  Desert 203 

Freighting  Provisions  across  the  Plains 208 

Part  of  the  Caravan  210 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

PAGE 

Niagara  Falls .215 

Building  of  the  Griffon 216 

Bowlder  and  Tablet  on  the  Site  of  the  Griffon  Shipyard     .     .     .  218 

Fitch's  Steamboat 222 

Fitch's  Third  Steamboat,  1 788 226 

Fulton's  First  Experiment  with  Paddles,  1779 230 

The  Clermont 233 

The  Walk-in-the-Water 239 

The  New  Orleans 243 

Review  of  Steamers,  Pittsburgh,  1911 247 

Horse-driven  Locomotive 251 

Junction  of  Pennsylvania  State  Canal  and  the  Railroad  .     .     .     .  253 

Stagecoach  on  Rails 254 

Canal  Barge  at  the  Summit  of  the  Allegheny  Portage     .     .     .     .  259 

Old  State  Portage  Railway,  crossing  Alleghenies 259 

The  Tom  Thumb 260 

The  De  Witt  Clinton  and  the  First  Train  in  New  York  State  .     .  264 

Passenger  Station  and  Hotel  in  the  Allegheny  Mountains  .     .     .  266 

"  Old  Ironsides  " 270 

"  The  Traveler,"  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 272 

"  The  York,"  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 272 

An  Early  Transportation  Announcement 273 

"John  Bull"  Locomotive  and  Train 277 

Freight  Car,  1832 278 

The  First  Train  from  Baltimore  to  St.  Louis,  1857 279 

"  The  Atlantic,"  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 280 

"  The  Costell,"  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 281 

The  Evolution  of  Transportation  in  Four  Stages 285 

Driving  the  Last  Spike.  Union  Pacific  and  Central  Pacific  Railroads  287 
Recording  Instrument  on  which  the  First  Telegraphic  Message 

was  Received 291 

An  Early  Telephone  Switchboard .  296 

A  Modern  Bell-Telephone  Switchboard 297 

Salem  to  Boston 298 

Philadelphia  to  San  Francisco 299 


REAL   STORIES   FROM 
OUR  HISTORY 


Somehow  a  boy  about  whom  we  have  simply  heard  does  not 
seem  very  real.  We  may  be  told  that  he  lives  only  a  thousand 
miles  away,  but  he  seems  like  a  myth,  until,  perhaps,  we  have 
a  letter  from  him.  Then  he  seems  like  a  real  boy. 

In  like  manner,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  the  first  settlers  in 
the  American  Colonies  were  real  people,  they  lived  so  long  ago. 

But  a  peep  into  the  diary  kept  by  Captain  John  Winthrop,  one 
of  the  first  settlers,  will  make  him  seem  as  real  as  the  boy  a 
thousand  miles  away  when  the  first  letter  is  received  from  him. 


^ 


CHAPTER  I 

COMING  TO  THE  COLONIES 

Our  children  and  others  that  were  sick,  and  lay  groaning 
in  the  cabin,  we  pitched  out,  and  having  stretched  a  rope 
from  the  steerage  to  the  mainmast,  we  made  them  stand, 
some  of  one  side  and  some  of  the  other,  and  sway  it  up 
and  down  till  they  were  warm,  and  by  this  means  they 
soon  grew  well  and  strong. 

Thus  John  Winthrop  wrote,  in  his  diary,  of  the 
treatment  given  to  the  passengers  on  the  good 
ship  Arbella,  which  sailed  with  other  vessels  from 
Southampton,  England,  on  March  22,  1631,  bear 
ing  toward  the  longed-for  American  home  many 
of  those  who  had  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  the 
Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

Of  the  four  ships  in  the  fleet  the  Arbella  was 
the  largest.  A  vessel  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 


..4-:  5 


REAL'. STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


tons,  carrying  twenty-eight  guns  and  fifty-two  men, 
would  not  seem  large  in  this  clay  when  a  steamer  of 
ten  thousand  tons  burden,  carrying  a  crew  of  hun 
dreds  of  men,  seems  small ;  but  it  was  a  fair-sized 
vessel  for  the  days  when  the  first  colonists  came. 


THE  COMPANY  OF  THE  PILGRIMS 
From  a  film  by  Thomas  A.  Edison,  Inc. 

The  departure  of  the  fleet  was  an  important 
event.  As  the  vessel  approached  Yarmouth  Castle 
a  salute  was  given  and  returned,  and  Captain 
Burleigh,  captain  of  the  castle,  went  aboard  the 
Arbella.  When  he  left  the  vessel  the  captain  of 
the  Arbella  "  gave  him  four  shot  out  of  the  fore 
castle  for  his  farewell." 


COMING  TO  THE  COLONIES  5 

But  the  twenty-eight  guns  were  not  for  salutes 
only.  Fearing  that  it  might  be  necessary  to  fight 
some  enemy  on  the  high  seas,  the  men  were  care 
fully  trained  to  take  their  places  at  the  guns.  One 
of  the  first  duties  of  the  captain  was  to  learn  who 
could  be  depended  on  to  handle  a  musket. 

Two  days  later  everybody  on  board  thought  that 
the  expected  enemy  was  about  to  attack  the  Ar- 
bella.  Eight  sail  were  sighted,  which  were  thought 
to  be  Spanish  vessels.  As  Spain  was  then  at  war 
with  England,  the  decks  were  cleared  for  action, 
and  the  guns,  powder  chests,  and  fireworks  were 
made  ready.  Cabins  which  were  in  the  way  of  the 
guns  were  taken  down ;  bedding,  which  might  catch 
fire,  was  thrown  overboard,  and  a  ball  of  wildfire 
fastened  to  an  arrow  of  a  crossbow  was  sent  far 
out  on  the  water,  where  it  burned  a  long  time. 

The  women  and  children  were  hurried  to  the 
lower  'deck,  where  they  would  be  safe.  Not  one 
of  these  showed  fear,  though  all  knew  the  danger, 
"for,"  as  John  Winthrop  wrote,  "our  trust  was  in 
the  Lord  of  Hosts ;  and  the  courage  of  our  cap 
tain,  and  his  care  and  diligence,  did  much  to 
encourage  us." 

Yet  there  was  no  reason  for  the  warlike  prepa 
rations.  When  the  ships  drew  near,  it  was  seen 
that  they  were  all  friendly  vessels.  Shots  were 


REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


fired  as  salutes,  and  "fear  and  danger  was  turned 
into  mirth."  Thus  relieved,  the  captain  of  the  Ar- 
bella  paused  to  buy  fresh  fish  of  passing  fishing 
boats.  The  Governor  and  his  company  wished  to 
put  off  as  long  as  possible  the  days  when  the 
ship's  company  would  be  dependent  on  salt  meat. 


MODEL  OF  THE  HALF  MOON,   HENRY  HUDSON'S  SHLP 

That  there  was  strict  discipline  on  the  vessel  may 
be  seen  from  an  entry  in  John  Winthrop's  journal: 

This  day  two  young  men  falling  at  odds  and  fighting, 
contrary  to  the  orders  which  we  had  published  and  set  up 
in  the  ship,  were  adjudged  to  walk  upon  the  deck  till  night 
with  their  hands  bound  behind  them  ;  and  another  man,  for 
using  contemptuous  speeches  in  our  presence,  was  laid  in 
bolts  till  he  submitted  himself. 


COMING  TO  THE  COLONIES  7 

The  vessels  of  the  fleet  managed  to  keep  close 
together,  in  spite  of  stormy  weather.  Sometimes, 
when  the  sea  permitted,  the  captains  would  gather 
on  one  of  the  ships  for  a  feast,  while  the  women 
and  children  ate  apart  in  the  cabin.  In  this  way 
the  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  broken. 

When  more  than  three  weeks  had  passed,  there 
was  an  unusually  stormy  Sunday,  but  the  storm 
was  not  made  an  excuse  for  omitting  the  regu 
lar  services.  Two  long  sermons  were  preached 
that  day. 

Every  day  or  two  there  was  trouble  with  some 
passenger  or  member  of  the  crew.  Once  two  lands 
men  broke  into  a  vessel  of  "  strong  water,"  and 
stole  some  of  it ;  for  this  they  were  put  in  irons, 
one  of  them  was  whipped,  and  they  were  fed  for 
a  day  on  bread  and  water.  It  was  thought  worth 
noting  that  not  all  those  on  board  were  trouble 
some.  "  We  have  many  young  gentlemen  in  our 
ship,  who  behave  themselves  well,"  was  once  written 
in  the  journal. 

As  the  vessels  drew  nearer  to  the  new  home, 
the  Governor  was  watching  for  unusual  sights. 
He  noted  the  fact  that  the  moon  looked  much 
smaller  than  he  had  ever  seen  it,  that  many  "  fowls  " 
were  seen  flying  and  swimming,  and  that  the  sun 
was  not  so  warm  as  in  England.  Because  of  this 


8        REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

last  fact  he  urged  that  others  who  might  come 
on  later  vessels  should  carry  warmer  clothing 
than  the  passengers  on  the  Arbella  had  thought 
necessary. 

Usually  the  passengers  and  their  servants  were 
cheerful  and  happy,  even  though  they  were  con 
fined  to  narrow  quarters  and  had  comparatively 
little  to  eat.  It  was  necessary  to  have  strict  rules 
for  the  distribution  of  the  food,  and  those  who 
disobeyed  had  to  be  punished.  One  case  men 
tioned  is  that  of  a  servant  who  had  promised  a 
child  a  small  present  if  the  child  would  give  him 
three  biscuits  a  day  during  the  voyage.  In  this 
way  he  received  about  forty  biscuits,  which  he 
sold  to  other  servants.  When  his  action  was  dis 
covered,  his  hands  were  tied  to  a  bar,  a  basket 
filled  with  stones  was  hung  about  his  neck,  and 
he  was  made  to  stand  thus  for  two  hours. 

Food  was  so  scarce  when  Cape  Cod  was  near 
that  the  Arbella  was  anchored  and  lines  were  put 
out.  In  two  hours  sixty-seven  codfish  were  taken, 
"  near  a  yard  and  a  half  long,  and  a  yard  in  com 
pass."  '  This  came  very  seasonably,"  the  record 
is  made,  "  for  our  salt  fish  was  now  spent,  and  we 
were  taking  care  for  our  victuals  for  this  day." 

At  Cape  Ann  most  of  the  people  went  ashore, 
and  came  back  with  many  fine  strawberries. 


COMING  TO  THE  COLONIES  9 

A  few  days  later  the  vessel  went  on  to  "  Mat- 
tachusetts,  to  find  out  a  place  for  our  sitting 
down."  This  was  found  after  sailing  up  Boston 
Harbor  and  six  miles  up  the  Mystic  River. 

Other  vessels  of  the  fleet  arrived  a  few  days 
later.  When  the  Talbot  came,  it  was  reported  that 
fourteen  passengers  had  died  during  the  voyage. 
The  captain  of  the  Success  reported  that  many 
of  his  passengers  "  were  near  starved."  But  the 
hardships  of  the  long  voyage  were  forgotten  when 
men,  women,  and  children  left  the  vessels  for  a 
new  home  in  the  land  of  their  dreams. 

Source.  JOHN  WINTHROP.  The  History  of  New  England  from 
1630  to  1649,  Vol.  I.  Phillips  &  Farnham,  Boston,  1825. 


What  did  the  colonists  do  when  they  landed  ?  What  did  they 
think  of  the  new  country?  Were  they  sorry  they  had  come? 
How  did  they  stand  the  severe  winter  weather  ?  How  did  they 
secure  needed  supplies  ?  What  did  they  wear,  and  what  did  they 
eat?  How  did  they  get  along  with  the  Indians? 


CHAPTER  II 

FIRST  EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NEW  LAND 

Three  weeks  after  the  landing  of  the  Arbella's 
company  in  Massachusetts,  John  Winthrop  wrote 
to  his  son  in  England : 

For  the  country  itself,  I  can  discern  little  difference  be 
tween  it  and  our  own.  We  have  had  only  two  days  which 
I  have  observed  more  hot  than  in  England.  Here  is  as 
good  land  as  I  have  seen,  but  none  so  bad  as  there.  Here 
is  sweet  air,  fair  rivers,  and  plenty  of  springs,  and  the  water 
better  than  in  England.  Here  can  be  no  want  of  anything 
to  those  who  bring  means  to  raise  out  of  the  earth  and  sea. 

In  another  letter  he  said : 

We  are  here  in  a  paradise.  Though  we  have  not  beef 
and  mutton,  &c.,  yet  (God  be  praised)  we  want  them  not, 
our  Indian  Corn  answers  for  all.  Yet,  here  is  fowl  and 
fish  in  great  plenty. 

In  September,  after  there  had  been  many  hard 
ships,  he  wrote  to  his  wife: 


EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NEW  LAND         II 


I  like  so  well  to  be  here  as  I  do  not  repent  my  coming ; 
and  if  I  were  to  come  again,  I  would  not  have  altered  my 
course,  though  I  had  foreseen  all  these  afflictions.  I  never 
fared  better  in  my  life,  never  slept  better,  never  had  more 
content  of  mind,  which  comes  only  by  the  Lord's  good 
hand ;  for  we  have  not 
the  like  means  of  those 
comforts  here,  which  we 
had  in  England. 

The  colonists  soon 
found  that  there  were 
many  things  they 
lacked,  although  they 
had  tried  to  foresee  all 
pressing  needs  when 
preparing  for  their 
voyage.  And  so,  when 
John  Winthrop,  Jr., 
was  planning  to  come 
out  from  England,  he 
was  asked  to  bring 
certain  supplies: 

Bring  .  .  .  meal,  and  peas,  and  some  oatmeal,  and  sugar, 
fruit,  figs,  and  puffs,  and  good  store  of  saltpetre,  and  con 
serve  of  red  roses  and  mithridate,  good  store  of  pitch,  and 
ordinary  suet  or  tallow.  Bring  none  but  wine  vinegar,  and 
not  much  of  that,  and  be  sure  that  the  cask  be  good ; 
store  of  oiled  calves-skins  of  the  largest ;  and  the  strongest 


JOHN  WINTHROP 


12       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

welt-leather  shoes  and  stockings  for  children ;  and  hats  of 
all  sizes.  If  you  could  bring  two  or  three  hundred  sheep 
skins  and  lamb-skins  with  the  wool  on,  dyed  red,  it  would  be 
a  great  commodity  here ;  and  the  coarsest  woolen  cloth  .  .  . 
of  sad  colors,  and  some  red  ;  millstones,  some  two  foot  and 
some  three  foot  over,  with  bracings  ready  cast,  and  rings 
and  pull-bells ;  store  of  shoemaker's  thread  and  hobnails ; 
chalk  and  chalkline  ;  and  a  pair  or  two,  or  more,  of  large, 
steel  compasses ;  store  of  coarse  linen,  and  some  birdlime. 

Many  of  these  items  were  in  demand  because  of  the 
severe  winters,  which  were  a  surprise  to  the  colonists. 
On  one  occasion  John  Winthrop  wrote  to  his  son : 

Winter  hath  begun  early  with  us.  The  bay  hath  been 
frozen  all  over,  but  is  now  open  again  ;  and  we  had  a  snow 
last  week  of  much  depth  in  many  places.  It  came  with  so 
violent  a  storm,  as  it  put  by  our  lecture  for  that  day. 

A  letter  dated  "Xlth,  22,  1637,"  and  signed 
"JO.W."  gives  another  vivid  picture: 

We  had  letters  from  Conectacott,  where  they  were  shut 
up  with  snow  above  a  month  since,  and  we  at  Boston  were 
almost  ready  to  break  up  for  want  of  wood,  but  that  it 
pleased  the  Lord  to  open  the  bay  (which  was  so  frozen  as 
men  went  over  it  in  all  places,)  and  mitigate  the  rigour  of 
the  season  ;  blessed  be  his  name.  On  Friday  was  fortnight, 
a  pinnace  was  cast  away  upon  Long  Island  by  Natascott,  and 
Mr.  Babbe  and  others,  who  were  in  her,  came  home  upon 
the  ice.  We  have  had  one  man  frozen  to  death,  and  some 
others  have  lost  their  fingers  and  toes. 


EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NEW  LAND         13 

Another  company  of  shipwrecked  colonists  kin 
dled  a  fire  on  a  barren  shore,  "but,  having  no 
hatchet,  they  could  get  little  wood,  and  were  forced 
to  lie  in  the  open  air  all  night,  being  extremely 
cold."  In  the  morning  they  were  seen  by  two 
Indian  squaws,  who  brought  their  husbands.  The 
men  took  the  refugees  to  their  wigwams,  minis 
tered  to  them,  and  built  a  wigwam  for  their  own 
use.  When  one  of  the  company  died  as  a  result 
of  the  exposure,  the  Indians  hewed  a  hole  in  the 
frozen  ground,  buried  the  body,  and  covered  it 
with  a  great  heap  of  wood,  to  keep  it  from  the 
wolves. 

Other  evidences  of  friendliness  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians  are  recorded  in  the  letters.  Once 
"  Wahginnacut,  a  sagamore  upon  the  River  Quo- 
nehtacut,  which  lies  west  of  Naragancet,  came  to 
the  governour  at  Boston,  with  John  Sagamore, 
and  Jack  Straw  and  divers  of  their  sannops,  and 
brought  a  letter  to  the  governour  from  Mr.  Ende- 
cott  to  this  effect:  That  the  said  Wahginnacut 
was  very  desirous  to  have  some  Englishmen  to 
come  plant  in  his  country,  and  offered  to  find  them 
corn  and  give  them  yearly  eighty  skins  of  beaver, 
and  that  the  country  was  very  fruitful,  &c.,  and 
wished  that  there  might  be  two  men  sent  with  him 
to  see  the  country." 


14      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


This  invitation  was  not  accepted,  for  already  the 
colonists  had  reason  to  suspect  treachery.  They 
feared  the  Indians,  perhaps  many  times  without 

reason. 

In  his  jour 
nal  Governor 
Winthrop  re 
corded  an  ad 
venture  which 
revealed  this 
fear: 

Thegovernour, 
being  at  his  fine 
house  at  Mistick, 
walked  out  after 
supper,  and  took 
a  piece  in  his 
hand,  supposing 
he  might  see  a 
wolf  (for  they 
came  daily  about 
the  house,  and 
killed  swine  and 
calves,  &c. ;)  and, 
being  about  half  a  mile  off,  it  grew  suddenly  dark,  so  as,  in 
coming  home,  he  mistook  his  path,  and  went  till  he  came  to 
a  little  house  of  Sagamore  John,  which  stood  empty.  There 
he  stayed,  and  having  a  piece  of  match  in  his  pocket,  (for 
he  always  carried  about  him  match  and  a  compass  .  .  .  )  he 


INDIAN  VILLAGE 


EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NEW  LAND         15 

made  a  good  fire,  .  .  .  but  could  not  sleep.  It  was  (through 
God's  mercy)  a  warm  night,  but  a  little  before  day  it  began 
to  rain,  and,  having  no  cloak,  he  made  shift  by  a  long  pole 
to  climb  up  into  the  house.  In  the  morning,  there  came 
hither  an  Indian  squaw,  but  perceiving  her  before  he  had 
opened  the  door,  he  barred  her  out ;  yet  she  stayed  there  a 
great  while  essaying  to  get  in,  and  at  last  she  went  away, 
and  he  returned  safe  home,  his  servants  having  been  much 
perplexed  for  him,  and  having  walked  about,  and  shot  off 
pieces,  and  hallooed  in  the  night,  but  he  heard  them  not. 

Dread  of  the  Indians  led  to  the  desire  for  a 
fortified  town.  On  December  6,  1631,  "the  gov- 
ernour  and  most  of  the  assistants,  and  others,  met 
at  Roxbury,  and  there  agreed  to  build  a  town  for 
tified  upon  the  neck  between  that  and  Boston, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  of  all 
things  requisite,  &c." 

On  December  14  "  the  committee  met  at  Rox 
bury,  and  upon  further  consideration,  for  reasons, 
it  was  concluded  that  we  could  not  have  a  town  in 
the  place  aforesaid  :  i .  Because  men  would  be  forced 
to  keep  two  families.  2.  There  was  no  running 
water ;  and  if  there  were  any  springs,  they  would 
not  suffice  the  town.  3.  The  most  part  of  the  people 
had  built  already,  and  would  not  be  able  to  build 
again."  "  So  we  agreed  to  meet  at  Watertown  that 
day  sen'night,"  John  Winthrop  concluded,  "and  in 
the  meantime  other  places  should  be  viewed." 


16      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

On  December  21  the  company  met  at  Water- 
town,  "  and  there  upon  view  of  a  place  a  mile  be 
neath  the  town,  all  agreed  it  a  fit  place  for  a 
fortified  town,  and  we  took  time  to  consider  fur 
ther  about  it." 

A  tax  of  £60  was  ordered  for  the  expenses  of 
fortifying  the  new  town.  But  there  was  difficulty  in 
raising  the  amount.  At  a  public  hearing  in  Boston, 
citizens  of  Watertown  declared  that  "it  was  not 
safe  to  pay  money  after  that  sort,  for  fear  of 
bringing  themselves  and  posterity  into  bondage." 

This  objection  was  speedily  answered,  the  taxes 
were  paid,  and  the  work  of  town  building  was 
continued. 

Source.  JOHN  WINTHROP.  The  History  of  New  England  from 
1630  to  1649,  Vol.  I.  Phillips  &  Farnham,  Boston,  1825. 


Step  over  the  threshold  into  the  homes  of  some  of  the  early 
colonists,  and  see  how  they  lived.  Of  course  the  first  shelters 
were  crude,  but  they  were  homes,  and  many  who  lived  in  them 
were  as  happy  there  as  when  they  were  able  to  replace  them 
with  fine  houses. 


Y^^ 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  HOUSES  OF  THE  COLONISTS 

It  is  known  that  many  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Connecticut,  especially  the  poor  people,  lived  for  a 
time  in  what  were  called  cellars.  These  were  built 
in  much  the  same  way  as  the  outside  vegetable 
cellars  used  by  farmers  to-day. 

When  preparing  to  build  a  cellar-house,  the 
colonist  looked  for  a  hillside  or  a  bank  of  earth, 
and  in  the  side  of  this  dug  a  shallow  pit.  The 
excavation  in  the  bank  was  about  seven  feet  deep 
at  the  rear,  the  earth  walls  sloping  to  the  ground 
level  at  the  front.  The  next  step  was  to  line  the 
sides  of  the  excavation  with  rough  stones  or  with 
logs  set  upright  and  close  together;  these  walls 
reached  to  a  height  of  perhaps  seven  feet  on  all 
sides.  Thus  the  earth  bank  at  the  rear  was  as 
high  as  the  walls.  Sometimes  the  earth  was  banked 
high  on  the  sides  also. 


i8      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  roof  was  made  either  of  logs,  plastered 
with  clay,  or  with  bark  or  thatch  on  poles.  While 
no  drawings  of  such  houses  are  known,  it  is 
thought  from  descriptions  written  at  the  time 
that  the  roof  was  somewhat  steep. 

Many  of  the  well-to-do  colonists  built  more 
ambitious  houses.  Skilled  artisans  came  to  the 


CELLAR-HOUSES 

colonies  with  the  first  immigrants,  and  from  the 
beginning  they  had  plenty  of  work.  Nicholas  Clark 
was  one  of  these  early  Connecticut  builders.  He 
constructed  a  house  for  John  Talcott,  of  which  the 
owner's  son  wrote  as  follows: 

The  kitchen  that  now  stands  on  the  north  side  of  the 
house  that  I  live  in  was  the  first  house  that  my  father 
built  in  Hartford  in  Connecticut  Colony,  and  was  done  .  .  . 


THE  HOUSES  OF  THE  COLONISTS         19 

in  the  year  1635.  My  father  and  mother  and  his  family 
.  .  .  lived  first  in  said  Kitchen,  which  was  first  on  west  side 
of  chimney.  The  great  barn  was  built  in  the  year  1636, 
and  underpinned  in  1637,  and  was  the  first  barn  that  was 
raised  in  the  colony.  The  east  side  of  this  house  .  .  .  was 
built  with  the  porch  that  is,  in  the  year  1638,  and  the 
chimneys  were  built  in  1638 

By  ''chimneys,"  the  writer  probably  meant  "flues." 
,At  first  there  was  a  wooden  chimney,  at  the  end 
of  a  single  room.  When  the  stone  chimney  was 
built,  another  room  was  added  against  the  chimney. 
Later  additions  made  the  house  a  story-and-a-half 
structure,  with  two  rooms  on  each  floor,  and  a 
lean-to  kitchen. 

In  most  two-story  houses  the  rooms  above  were 
larger  than  those  below,  since  the  -wall  of  the 
upper  story  often  projected  about  eighteen  inches, 
after  the  style  of  houses  in  which  some  of  the 
colonists  had  lived  in  England.  Such  houses  may 
be  seen  to-day  in  old  sections  of  Hartford,  Boston, 
and  Philadelphia. 

These  houses  were  made  warm  by  filling  the 
wall  spaces  with  mixed  hay  and  clay.  Clapboards 
hewn  by  the  builder's  ax  were  nailed  outside  this 
protecting  mixture. 

A  study  of  the  last  wills  of  several  of  the  colo 
nists  reveals  curious  facts  as  to  the  houses.  For 


20      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

instance,  the  will  of  Thomas  Nowell  of  Windsor, 
who  died  in  1648,  showed  that  he  was  the  proud 
owner  of  a  frame  house  of  two  stories,  for,  in 
speaking  of  the  parlor  and  the  kitchen,  he  men 
tioned  also  the  "  parlor  loft,"  and  the  "  kitchen  Lofts 


PRIMITIVE  SLEEPING  QUARTERS 


and  Garrits."  The  parlor  loft  contained  a  bed, 
worth  ^5.  Evidently  this  was  the  best  bedroom. 
Another  will  declared  that  the  house  occupied 
by  the  testator  should  be  divided  among  the  chil 
dren.  This  was  done,  not  by  selling  the  building 
and  dividing  the  proceeds,  but  by  actually  dividing 
the  house!  This  was  possible  because  the  houses 


THE  HOUSES  OF  THE  COLONISTS         21 

of  that  day  were  built  to  last  for  centuries,  their 
timbers  being  many  times  larger  than  those  used 
in  houses  of  similar  size  to-day.  The  halves  of  a 
house  thus  divided  would  be  placed  on  separate 
lots.  A  house  in  Farmington,  Connecticut,  built 


IN  THE  KITCHEN 


between  1650  and  1660,  was  thus  divided;  the 
halves  were  occupied  as  separate  tenements  as 
late  as  1910. 

The  Whitman  house,  in  the  same  town,  built 
probably  about  1660,  was  in  use  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  later,  almost  unchanged.  Chimney, 
roof,  clapboards,  and  some  other  parts  have  been 


22      REAL  STORIES   FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

renewed,  but  "  otherwise  the  venerable  house  is 
in  the  shape  in  which  the  carpenter  and  the 
mason  left  it,  even  to  the  two  flights  of  stairs 
which  ascend  from  the  first  floor  to  the  garret, 
and  the  stone  steps  from  the  hall  by  which  you 
may  still  reach  the  cellar  under  the  parlor." 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  HOUSE 


While  the  houses  built  at  this  period  varied  in 
size,  they  did  not  vary  much  in  plan.  The  main 
rooms  were  practically  the  same  in  all  the  houses. 
The  great  stone  chimney  was  the  central  feature. 
On  one  side  was  the  hall,  or  living  room,  on  the 
other  side  the  parlor,  of  equal  size.  At  the  back 


THE  HOUSES  OF  THE  COLONISTS         23 

was  the  lean-to  addition,  the  kitchen,  with  its  fire 
place  in  the  side  of  the  chimney.  At  the  front 
was  the  entry  hall,  in  those  days  called  the  porch. 
The  stairway  was  against  the  chimney,  which,  of 
course,  had  no  opening  on  that  side. 

The  Joseph  Whiting  house,  which  long  stood 
on  Main  Street  in  Hartford,  near  the  corner  of 
Charter  Oak  Avenue,  had  an  unusually  steep  roof, 
under  which  were  the  following  rooms,  as  named 
in  a  document  on  file  at  Hartford :  On  the  first 
story  were  parlor,  dwelling  room  (the  hall),  kitchen, 
little  bedroom.  In  the  second  story  were  the  parlor 
chamber,  the  little  chamber,  the  middle  chamber, 
the  lean-to  chamber,  and  the  kitchen  chamber. 
Then  there  were  the  garret  and  the  cellar.  All 
these  rooms  except  the  hall  and  the  parlor  were 
added  to  the  original  dwelling  at  a  later  date.  In 
the  grounds  were  the  workshop  and  the  "  old 
shopp." 

The  document  gives  also  the  value  of  this  large 
house :  "  The  Mantion  House  and  homestead  on 
rood  with  the  barn  stable  and  outhouses  ^"155." 

Property  was  not  high  in  those  days. 

Source.  NORMAN  M.  ISHAM  and  ALBERT  F.  BROWN.  Early  Con 
necticut  Houses.  Preston  and  Rounds  Co.,  Providence,  R.  I.  The  illus 
tration  of  cellar-houses  on  page  1 8  is  adapted  from  this  volume. 


Hundreds  of  miles  to  the  south  of  the  land  which  seemed  so 
strange  to  John  Winthrop  and  his  little  company,  and  a  little 
after  the  time  of  the  landing  of  those  early  home-seekers,  an 
explorer  kept  his  eyes  open  for  marvels.  Once  he  wrote  to 
England  of  "  fireflies  who  carry  their  lanthorns  in  their  tails." 


CHAPTER  IV 

WITH  THE  CAROLINA  EXPLORERS 

On  October  16,  1663,  William  Hilton  sailed 
up  "  Cape  Fair  River,"  as  he  called  it,  for  a  dis 
tance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  He  said 
of  his  exploration : 

We  found  a  good  tract  of  land,  dry,  well-wooded,  pleas 
ant  and  delightful,  as  we  have  seen  anywhere  in  the  world, 
with  great  burthen  of  grasse  on  it,  the  land  being  very 
level,  with  steep  banks  on  both  sides  the  river,  and  in 
some  places  very  high,  the  wood  stored  with  abundance  of 
deer  and  turkies  everywhere ;  we  never  going  on  shoar,  but 
saw  of  each,  also  partridges,  great  store,  cranes  abundance, 
conies,  which  we  saw  in  several  places  ;  we  heard  several 
wolves  howling  in  the  woods,  and  saw  where  they  had  torn 
a  deer  in  pieces.  Also  in  the  river  we  saw  great  store  of 
duck,  teils,  widgeon,  and  in  the  woods  great  flocks  of 
parrakeetos  (a  species  now  almost  extinct) ;  the  timber  that 
the  woods  afford  for  the  most  part  consisting  of  oaks  of 
four  or  five  sorts,  all  differing  in  leaves,  but  all  bearing 
akorns  very  good  ;  we  measured  many  of  the  oaks  in  several 

24 


WITH  THE  CAROLINA  EXPLORERS        25 

places,  which  we  found  to  be  in  bignesse  some  two,  some 
three  and  others  almost  four  fathoms ;  in  height,  before 
you  come  to  boughs  or  limbs,  forty,  fifty,  sixty  foot,  and 
some  more. 

In  1666  Robert  Horns  printed  a  similar  descrip 
tion  of  the  country,  and  added  a  striking  appeal  for 
immigration : 

Such  as  are  here  tormented  with  much  care  how  to  get 
worth  to  gain  a  livelyhood,  or  that  with  their  labor  can 
hardly  get  a  comfortable  subsistence,  shall  do  well  to  go  to 
this  place,  where  any  man  whatever,  that  is  but  willing  to 
take  moderate  pains,  may  be  assured  of  a  most  comfortable 
subsistence,  and  be  in  a  way  to  raise  his  fortunes  far  be 
yond  what  he  could  ever  hope  for  in  England.  Let  no 
man  be  troubled  at  the  thoughts  of  being  a  servant  for  four 
or  five  years,  for  I  can  assure  you  that  many  men  give 
money  with  their  children  to  serve  seven  years  (as  appren 
tices),  to  take  more  pain  and  fare  nothing  so  well  as  the 
servants  in  this  plantation  will  do. 

For  fear  men  only  would  listen  to  these  fer 
vent  appeals,  the  following  was  added : 

If  any  maid  or  single  woman  have  a  desire  to  go  over, 
they  will  think  themselves  in  the  Golden  Age,  when  men 
paid  a  doury  for  their  wives  ;  for  if  they  be  but  civil,  and 
under  50  years  of  age,  some  honest  man  or  other  will 
purchase  them  for  their  wives. 

In  1666  Robert  Sandford  made  a  voyage  to 
the  province  of  Carolina.  When  in  the  vicinity  of 


26      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


Bohicket  Creek,  he  left  his  boat,  with  a  small 
party,  in  search  of  the  "Towne"  of  the  Indian 
"  Casique  "  l  of  the  neighborhood.  He  told  of  his 
trip  thus : 

Wee  crossed  one  meadowe  of  not  less  than  a  thousand 
acres,  all  firme,  good  land  and  as  rich  a  soyle  as  any,  clothed 


A  LANDING  IN  THE  PROVINCE  OF  CAROLINA 

with  a  fine  grasse  and  not  passing  knee  deepe,  but  very 
thick  sett  and  fully  adorned  with  yeallow  flowers ;  a  pasture 
not  inferior  to  any  I  have  seen  in  England.  .  .  .  Being 
entered  the  towne  wee  were  conducted  into  a  large  house 
of  a  circular  forme  (their  general  house  of  state).  Right 
against  the  entrance  was  a  high  seate  of  sufficient  breadth 
for  half  a  dozen  persons  on  which  sate  the  Cassique  himself 

1  A  cacique  (modern  spelling)  was  a  chief  or  prince  among  the  Indians. 


WITH  THE  CAROLINA  EXPLORERS        27 

with  his  wife  on  his  right  hand.  He  was  an  old  man  of 
large  stature  and  bone.  Round  the  house  from  each  side 
of  the  throne  quite  to  the  entrance  were  lower  benches 
filled  with  the  whole  rabble  of  men,  women  and  children. 
.  .  .  Capt.  Gary  and  my  selfe  were  placed  on  the  highe 
seats  on  each  side  of  the  Casique,  and  presented  with  skins, 
accompanied  with  their  ceremonies  of  welcome  and  friend- 
shipp  (by  stroking  their  shoulders  with  their  palmes  and 
sucking  in  their  breath  the  whilst).  The  town  is  scituate  on 
the  side  or  rather  in  the  skirts  of  a  faire  forest,  in  which  at 
several  distances  are  diverse  fields  of  maiz  with  many  little 
houses  straglingly  amongst  them.  .  .  .  Before  the  doore  of 
their  statehouse  is  a  spacious  walke  rowed  with  trees  on 
both  sides,  tall  and  full  branched,  not  much  unlike  to  elms, 
which  serves  for  the  exercise  and  recreation  of  the  men, 
who  by  couples  runn  after  a  marble  bowle  troled  out  alter 
nately  by  themselves,  with  six  foote  staves  in  their  hands, 
which  they  tosse  after  the  bowle  in  the  race,  and  according 
to  the  laying  of  their  staves  win  or  loose  the  beeds  they 
contend  for ;  an  exercise  approviable  enough  in  the  winter, 
but  somewhat  too  violent  (mee  thought)  for  that  season  and 
noontide  of  the  day.  From  this  walk  is  another  house  aside 
from  the  round  house  for  the  children  to  sport  in. 

In  1682  Thomas  Ashe  wrote  wonderingly  of 
"great  numbers  of  fire  flies,  who  carry  their  lant- 
horns  in  their  tails  in  dark  nights,  flying  through 
the  air,  shining  like  sparks  of  fire,  enlightening 
it  with  their  golden  spangles."  This  bit  of  de 
scription  concluded  in  an  even  more  startling 


28       REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

manner:  "Amongst  large  orange  trees  in  the 
night,  I  have  seen  many  of  these  flies,  whose 
lights  have  appeared  like  hanging  candles,  or 
pendent  flambeaus,  which  amidst  the  leaves  and 
fruit  yielded  a  light  truly  glorious  to  behold ; 
with  three  of  these  included  in  a  glass  bottle,  in  a 
very  dark  night,  I  have  read  very  small  characters." 
By  descriptions  like  these  the  English  people 
of  the  seventeenth  century  were  lured  to  America. 

Source.    Manuscripts,  etc.,  of  the  South  Carolina  Historical  Society. 


Think  of  a  church  building  without  a  floor,  without  heat  in  the 
coldest  weather,  whose  seats  had  no  backs,  and  whose  walls  were 
thirty  inches  thick,  because  built  for  defense  against  the  Indians. 
This  was  the  sort  of  building  in  which  many  of  the  colonists 
worshiped  on  Sunday. 


CHAPTER  V 

GOING  TO  CHURCH  IN  EARLY  DAYS 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  America  from 
England,  they  usually  tried  to  secure  a  church 
building  as  soon  as  possible.  Frequently  they  in 
sisted  on  having  a  place  in  which  to  worship  God 
while  their  own  houses  were  still  incomplete.  They 
were  often  content  with  primitive  buildings,  but  as 
soon  as  possible  the  first  structures  were  replaced. 

These  early  settlers  did  not  like  to  have  a  debt 
resting  on  the  houses  in  which  they  were  to  wor 
ship.  So,  frequently,  it  was  necessary  to  leave  them 
unfinished.  St.  David's  Church,  at  Radnor,  Penn 
sylvania,  begun  in  1715,  was  long  a  mere  shell. 
The  people  in  the  pews  coulcl  look  up  to  the  bare 
rafters  which  bore  the  marks  of  the  woodsman's  ax. 
For  fifty  years  there  was  no  floor;  men  and  women 
were  glad  to  stand  on  the  bare  ground.  To-day 

a   congregation    is    proud    to    worship    in    this    old 

29 


30      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

building,  which,  except  for  a  few  minor  features, 
looks  nearly  as  it  did  almost  two  hundred  years  ago. 
Of  course  there  were  no  stoves  in  those  colonial 
churches.  Foot  stoves,  full  of  hot  embers,  were 
carried  into  the  pews  by  the  members  of  the 


ST.  DAVID'S  CHURCH,  RADNOR,   PENNSYLVANIA 

congregation  who  could  afford  the  luxury.  Those 
who  had  slaves  sent  them  with  the  stoves  a  little 
early.  In  many  places  there  would  be  a  company 
of  these  slaves  waiting  for  their  masters  at  the 
church  door.  When,  one  by  one,  the  masters 
arrived  a  slave  would  separate  himself  from  his 


GOING  TO  CHURCH   IN   EARLY  DAYS      31 

fellows,  precede  his  master  to  the  pew,  arrange  the 
foot  stove  and  respectfully  retire  to  a  seat  in  the 
gallery.  At  the  close  of  the  service  he  would 
return,  take  up  the  stove  once  more  and  carry  it 
home  that  it  might  be  in  readiness  for  another 
Sunday.  At  a  church  in  Albany,  New  York,  it 
was  a  common  thing  to  see  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  of  these  slaves  at  the  church  door.  It  is  said 
that  at  this  same  church  in  cold  weather  the 
men  kept  their  hats  on  their  heads,  and  protected 
their  hands  by  burying  them  in  muffs. 

The  introduction  of  stoves  came  slowly.  In  some 
places  the  foot  stoves  were  still  in  use  in  1825. 
When  iron  stoves  were  admitted  to  the  churches, 
many  of  the  worshipers  did  not  like  to  give  up 
their  old  ways.  In  the  First  Church  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  worshipers  insisted  on  bringing  foot 
stoves  long  after  the  heating  stoves  were  installed. 
Then  warning  was  given  that  the  sexton  would 
carry  from  the  building  any  foot  stove  found  lighted 
after  the  beginning  of  service.  In  Albany,  New 
York,  heating  stoves  were  placed  on  platforms 
level  with  the  gallery,  and  from  the  gallery  bridges 
ran  across  to  the  platforms,  so  that  the  sexton 
might  reach  the  fires.  It  is  no  wonder  that  there 
was  at  first  a  preference  for  the  old  method  of 
securing  heat. 


32       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  men  were  often  seated  on  one  side  of  the 
church  while  the  women  were  across  the  aisle, 
but  in  many  places  it  was  thought  best  to  have 
entire  families  sit  together.  For  this  purpose  pews 
with  high  backs,  each  pew  as  large  as  a  fair-sized 
closet,  were  provided.  Seats  were  arranged  on  three 
sides  of  the  interior  of  the  pew.-  Sometimes  the 
seats  were  hinged  and  could  be  lifted  up,  thus 
giving  the  worshipers  more  standing  room.  The 
fourth  side  of  the  pew  was  devoted  to  the  door. 
In  some  primitive  churches,  however,  there  was 
no  such  luxury.  The  seats  were  plain  puncheon, 
without  backs. 

At  Trinity  Church,  Wilmington,  Delaware,  the 
pews  were  allotted  to  the  heads  of  families  who 
had  been  most  helpful  in  the  work  of  building, 
the  choicest  pew  to  the  best  giver  and  worker. 
The  occupants  not  only  had  a  right  to  the  pews 
thus  allotted,  so  long  as  they  lived,  but  they  were 
privileged  to  sell  them,  or  to  bequeath  them  to 
their  children  after  them.  In  King's  Chapel,  Boston, 
the  two  best  pews  were  reserved  for  the  rector  and 
the  governor.  The  next  best  were  for  "  masters  of 
vessels,"  and  for  the  old  men  of  the  church.  At 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  the  seats  were  plain,  back 
less  benches,  and  were  assigned  "according  to  rank, 
age,  office,  and  estate."  It  was  thought  that  the 


33 


34      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

backless  benches  would  restrain  occupants  from 
sleeping.  Some  wealthy  members,  not  satisfied 
with  this  arrangement,  were  given  permission  to 
build  pews  at  the  sides  of  the  pulpit. 

The  form  of  pulpit  used  in  many  of  these  old 
churches  was  a  drum-shaped  inclosure,  perched  on 
a  pillar,  with  a  sounding  board,  like  a  canopy,  above 
it.  A  winding  stair  led  to  the  pulpit.  On  the  steps 
the  boys  were  sometimes  seated,  the  top  step  being 
the  coveted  position,  for  its  occupant  could  proudly 
open  the  door  for  the  minister  when  he  entered 
the  pulpit.  From  this  pulpit  the  minister  could 
look  down  on  his  entire  congregation,  while  the 
people  could  see  him  only  by  craning  their  necks. 

It  was  a  problem  how  to  get  notices  to  the 
minister,  for  it  was  not  always  convenient  to  climb 
the  long  stairs.  In  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church 
at  Kingston,  New  York,  an  ingenious  clerk,  when 
receiving  the  notices  of  funerals,  christenings,  wed 
dings,  or  merrymakings,  reached  them  up  to  the 
dominie  on  the  end  of  a  bamboo  pole. 

The  colonists  were  poor,  but  they  were  liberal. 
Until  1795,  in  the  Old  Dutch  Church  at  Albany, 
New  York,  the  deacons  would  take  up  the  collec 
tion  in  the  midst  of  the  dominie's  sermon.  They 
used  bags  at  the  ends  of  poles.  Bells  were  attached 
to  the  bags  to  arouse  any  who  were  sleeping.  At 


GOING  TO   CHURCH   IN   EARLY  DAYS      35 

Hartford  the  members  of  the  church  were  expected 
to  march  with  their  gifts  to  the  deacons'  table. 

Money  was  not  always  at  hand ;  gifts  were  then 
made   in   produce.     Christ   Church,   at   Alexandria, 


INTERIOR  OF  ST.   PETER'S  CHURCH,   PHILADELPHIA 

Virginia,  was  built  by  the  sale  of  thirty-one  thou 
sand  pounds  of  tobacco.  The  pastor's  salary  was 
also  paid  in  tobacco,  while  the  poor  of  the  church 
were  supported  by  fines,  paid  in  tobacco,  for  such 
offenses  as  "killing  deer  out  of  season,"  or  "hunt 
ing  on  the  Sabbath."  In  Kingston,  New  York,  the 
pastor's  salary  was  paid  in  wheat. 


36       REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Of  course  the  early  settlers  had  to  be  on  their 
guard  against  Indians  on  Sunday  as  well  as  during 
the  week.  For  this  reason  the  Old  North  Church 
at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  was  built  on  a 
hill.  The  First  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  New 


OLD  SWEDES  CHURCH,   PHILADELPHIA 

York  was  built  within  the  fort.  In  Schenectady  a 
gallery  was  built  solely  for  the  use  of  those  who 
watched  for  the  Indians.  Center  Church,  New 
Haven,  had  a  turret,  in  which  stood  a  sentinel  every 
Sunday ;  armed  guards  were  stationed  near  at  hand 
on  the  road.  Two  cannons  were  charged  before 


GOING  TO   CHURCH   IN   EARLY  DAYS      37 

each  service.  At  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  log  forti 
fications  surrounded  the  meetinghouse.  Traces  of 
the  earth  embankments, .raised  for  additional  pro 
tection,  are  still  to  be  seen.  A  drum  was  beaten  to 
call  the  people  to  church,  for  fear  the  sound  of  a 
bell  would  tell  the  Indians  that  the  people  were 
absent  from  home.  At  Tarrytown,  New  York,  the 
walls  of  Pocantico  Church  were  thirty  inches 
thick,  to  resist  Indian  attacks,  while  the  church 
at  Herkimer,  New  York,  was  buttressed  for  the 
same  reason. 

So  well  were  these  seventeenth-century  churches 
constructed  that  a  few  of  them  are  still  in  use. 
The  Old  Swedes  Church,  in  Philadelphia,  built  in 
1697,  is  occupied  regularly.  The  Old  Ship  Church 
at  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  though  finished  in 
1682,  is  as  stanch  as  ever  and  bids  fair  to  last 
another  century.  No  such  buildings  are  erected 
to-day.  While  men  have  improved  on  some  of  the 
primitive  methods  of  their  forefathers,  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  learned  to  build  for  the  centuries. 

Source.  NELLIE  URNER  WALLIXGTON.  Historic  Churches  of 
America.  Duffield  &  Co.,  New  York. 


J>ttUUU<AU^AVUKU^ 


First  the  church,  then  the  school.  Furniture  was  primitive, 
books  were  few,  and  every  boy  and  girl  had  to  pay  tuition. 
Masters  were  stern  and  boys  were  whipped  every  day.  And  not 
even  the  wealthiest  parent  in  the  town  was  allowed  to  find  fault 


with  the  master. 


CHAPTER   VI 

GOING  TO  SCHOOL  IN  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND 

The  boys  of  New  England  had  a  chance  to  go 
to  school  about  as  soon  as  they  could  go  to  church. 
Indeed,  they  were  given  more  than  a  chance;  they 
were  compelled  to  attend  under  severe  penalty  for 
failure.  Their  parents  had  to  pay  the  penalty,  and 
in  many  cases  they  had  to  pay  the  tuition  of  the 
truants,  too ;  for  this  was  the  rule  adopted  by  one 
town  meeting,  "  Boys  from  six  to  twelve  years  of 
age  shall  pay  the  Schoolmaster,  whether  they  go  to 
school  or  not,  four  pence  a  week  for  Wrighters, 
and  three  pence  a  week  for  Readers." 

The  schoolhouse  to  which  the  "  Readers  and 
Wrighters  "  found  their  way  for  the  few  months  in 
each  winter  when  the  teacher  was  provided,  can 
not  have  been  unlike  the  little  one-room  district 
schoolhouse  still  common  in  many  parts  of  the 
country.  The  primitive  schoolhouse  "  was  usually  a 

38 


SCHOOLS  IN  OLD  NEW  ENGLAND          39 

small,  one-room  building  which  was  entered  through 
a  shed-like  hallway  in  which  wood  was  piled 
and  where  hats,  coats,  and  dinner-pails  were  also 
stored,"  says  the  author  of  "  Social  Life  in  Old  New 
England."  "  Sometimes  wood  was  furnished  by  the 
parents,  the  child  of  a  stingy  father  being  then,  by 


AN  OLD  SCHOOLHOUSE 

common  consent,  denied  intimate  relations  with 
the  fire.  After  the  time  of  fireplaces  a  large  square 
stove  in  the  center  of  the  room  was  the  usual 
method  of  heating.  From  this  a  long  pipe,  sus 
pended  by  chains,  reached  to  the  end  of  the 
building,  where  the  chimney  stood.  Frequently 
the  primitive  heating-plant  had  to  cope  with  the 


40       REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

problem  of  raising  the  temperature  from  twelve 
below  zero,  when  school  opened,  to  a  temperature 
favorable  to  '  wrighting.'  " 

In  Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  in  1643,  ^  was 
ordered  that  on  summer  days  school  should  be  in 
session  from  seven  in  the  morning  until  five  in 
the  afternoon.  In  the  winter  the  time  was  re 
duced  one  hour  in  the  morning  and  one  hour  in 
the  afternoon.  The  noon  recess  lasted  two  hours, 
from  eleven  to  one,  five  days  in  the  week.  On 
Monday,  for  school  kept  six  days  in  the  week, 
there  was  another  program.  The  to\vn  selectmen 
told  what  wras  to  be  done  during  these  two  hours 
on  Monday: 

The  master  shall  call  the  scholars  together  between  twelve 
and  one  of  the  clock  to  examine  them  what  they  have 
learned,  at  which  time  also  he  shall  take  notice  of  any  mis 
demeanor  or  outrage  that  any  of  his  scholars  shall  have  com 
mitted  on  the  sabbath,  to  the  end  that  at  some  convenient 
time  his  admonition  and  correction  may  be  administered. 

He  shall  diligently  instruct  both  in  lessons  and  good  liter 
ature,  and  likewise  in  point  of  good  manners  and  dutiful 
behavior  towards  all,  especially  their  superiors.  Every  day 
of  the  week  at  two  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  he  shall 
catechize  his  scholars  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

He  shall  faithfully  do  his  best  to  benefit  his  scholars,  and 
not  remain  away  from  school  unless  necessary.  He  shall 


SCHOOLS   IN   OLD  NEW  ENGLAND 


equally  and  impartially  teach  such  as  are  placed  in  his  care, 
no  matter  whether  their  parents  be  poor  or  rich. 

It  is  to  be  chief  part  of  the  schoolmaster's  religious  care  to 
commend  his  scholars  and  his  labors  amongst  them  unto  God 
by  prayer  morning  and  evening,  taking  care  that  his  scholars 
do  reverently  attend 
during  the  same. 

The  rod  of  cor 
rection  is  a  rule  of 
God  necessary  some 
times  to  be  used 
upon  children.  The 
schoolmaster  shall 
have  full  power  to 
punish  any  or  all  of 
his  scholars,  no  mat 
ter  who  they  are. 
No  parent  or  other 
person  living  in  the 
place  shall  go  about 
to  hinder  the  master 
in  this.  But  if  any 
parent  or  others 
shall  think  there  is 
just  cause  of  com 
plaint  against  the  master  for  too  much  severity,  they  shall 
have  liberty  to  tell  him  so  in  friendly  and  loving  way. 

The  school  in  which  these  rules  were  observed 
was  perhaps  the  first  public  school  in  America 
supported  by  general  taxation.  In  1637,  when  the 


THE  PLANTATION  SCHOOL  WHERE  THOMAS 
JEFFERSON  LEARNED  TO  READ 


42       REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR   HISTORY 

town  was  less  than  two  years  old,  arrangements 
were  made  to  build  a  meetinghouse.  Seven  years 
later,  in  1644,  a  school  was  arranged  for,  the  vote 
of  the  town  being  as  follows: 

The  said  inhabitants,  taking  into  consideration  the  great 
necessitie  of  providing  some  means  for  the  Education  of 
the  youth  in  our  s'd  Towne,  did  with  an  unanimous  con 
sent  declare  by  voate  their  willingness  to  promote  that 
worke,  promising  to  put  too  their  hands,  to  provide  mainte 
nance  for  a  Free  School  in  our  said  towne. 

And  further  did  resolve  and  consent,  testifying  it  by 
voate,  to  rayse  the  summe  of  Twenty  pounds  pr  annu 
towards  the  maintaining  of  a  School  Mr.  to  keep  a  free 
School  in  our  s'd  towne. 

And  also  did  resolve  and  consent  to  betrust  the  s'd  20 
pound  pr  annu  &  certain  lands  in  our  town  previously  set 
apart  for  publique  use,  into  the  hand  of  Feoffes  to  be  per 
sonally  chosen  by  themselves,  to  supply  the  s'd  20  pounds 
and  the  land  afores'd  to  be  improved  for  the  use  of  the 
said  School :  that  as  the  profits  shall  arise  from  ye  s'd  land, 
every  man  may  be  proportionately  abated  of  his  share  of 
the  s'd  20  pounds  aforesaid,  freely  to  be  given  to  ye  use 
aforesaid. 

Five  years  later  the  fathers  decided  that  their 
children  must  not  go  to  school  any  longer  in  the 
church  building ;  they  would  build  a  schoolhouse 
for  them.  So  the  schoolhouse  was  made  ready,  a 
building  fourteen  feet  long,  with  a  great  chimney 
four  feet  deep  at  one  end,  and  fifteen  feet  wide. 


SCHOOLS  IN  OLD   NEW  ENGLAND         43 

Against  the  rear  end  of  the  chimney  was  to  be  a 
lean-to  watch-house,  six  feet  wide.  In  this  watch- 
house  a  sentinel  was  always  to  be  on  guard  at 
night,  lest  the  town  be  surprised  by  Indians. 

In  the  early  schools  little  children  learned  the 
alphabet  from   a  hornbook,   which   is  described  as 


INTERIOR  OF  A  COLONIAL  SCHOOLHOUSE  AT  VALLEY  FORGE, 
PENNSYLVANIA 

"  a  rough  piece  of  paper  fastened  on  a  slab  of 
wood  and  covered  with  a  transparent  sheet  of 
horn."  As  early  as  1691  the  hornbook  was  dis 
placed  by  the  famous  "  New  England  Primer." 

Unfortunately,  girls  were  not  admitted  to  the 
privileges  of  these  early  public  schools.  Many 
schools  were  not  open  to  them  until  toward  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth  century. 


44      REAL   STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Even  the  boys  in  many  districts  found  little 
opportunity  to  go  to  school.  Their  school  was  in 
the  open  air,  where  hard  work  was  to  be  done. 
'  They  spent  most  of  their  time  in  the  fields  and 
the  forests  and  along  the  rivers  and  the  sea,  hunt 
ing  bears  and  deer,  trapping  foxes,  shooting  wild 
turkey,  wild  geese  and  wild  ducks ;  or  fishing, 
riding,  driving,  swimming,  rowing  and  sailing;  or 
at  work  with  those  who  were  laying  out  roads 
through  the  woods,  digging  wells  and  ditches,  mak 
ing  walls  and  fences,  assisting  in  building  houses, 
barns,  fortifications,  churches,  boats;  laying  out 
and  cultivating  gardens  and  planting  orchards. 
They  thus  became  hardened  to  the  climate,  and 
gained  good  constitutions,  and  moreover  became 
acquainted  with  natural  objects  —  rocks  and  soils ; 
animals  wild  and  tame ;  the  trees  and  shrubs  of 
the  woods  and  the  flowers  and  herbs  of  the 
garden  and  the  fields." 

Sources.  MARY  CAROLINE  CRAWFORD.  Social  Life  in  Old  New 
England.  Little,  Brown,  and  Company,  Boston. 

CLIFTON  JOHNSON.  Old  Time  Schools  and  School  Books.  The 
Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 

GEORGE  B.  EMERSON.  Education  in  Massachusetts  (Chapter  XIII 
in  "  Massachusetts  and  its  Early  History."  Lowell  Institute  Lectures, 
published  by  the  Society). 


X^U^ 


While  Thomas  Dustin,  of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  was  build 
ing  his  second  house,  he  was  attacked  by  hostile  Indians.  The 
tragic  story  of  the  capture  of  his  wife,  of  her  trying  experience 
in  captivity,  and  of  her  escape  from  the  red  men,  is  one  of  the 
thrilling  tales  of  the  early  days. 


^ 


CHAPTER  VII 

CARRIED  AWAY  BY  THE  INDIANS 

When  Thomas  and  Hannah  Dustin  were  mar 
ried  in  1677,  they  built,  near  Haverhill,  Massa 
chusetts,  and  not  far  from  the  left  bank  of  the 
Merrimack  River,  a  little  house  of  imported  brick. 
The  house  has  disappeared,  but  frequently  a  visitor 
to  the  spot  uncovers  one  of  the  bricks  and  marvels 
at  the  building  material  brought  across  the  sea. 

Later  Thomas  Dustin  found  deposits  of  clay 
near  his  home  which  led  him  to  make  experi 
ments  in  brickmaking.  He  was  so  successful  that 
his  product  was  in  demand ;  villagers  said  that 
the  Haverhill  bricks  were  fully  as  good  as  those 
brought  from  England. 

Strong  building  material  was  needed,  for  hostile 
Indians  were  continually  making  attacks  on  the 
villagers.  To  afford  protection  against  the  savages, 
Mr.  Dustin  began  to  build  a  new  house.  As  this 

45 


46      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


house  is  still  standing,  it  is  possible  to  tell  of  its 
construction.  A  Haverhill  resident  says  that  "  white 
oak,  which  is  to-day  well  preserved,  was  used  in 
its  massive  framework,  and  the  floor  and  roof 

timbers  are  put  to 
gether  with  great 
wooden  pins.  In 
early  days  the  win 
dows  swung  outward, 
and  the  glass  was 
very  thick,  and  set 
into  the  frames  with 
lead." 

On  March  15, 1697, 
Mr.  Dustin  was  at 
some  distance  from 
the  old  house,  cut 
ting  wood.  All  his 
children  except  the 
youngest,  a  baby, 
were  playing  near 

by.  Suddenly  there  was  a  war  whoop.  A  company 
of  Indians  in  war  paint,  brandishing  tomahawks, 
burst  from  the  forest.  Gathering  his  children  about 
him,  Mr.  Dustin  started  with  them  for  the  old 
house,  to  save  his  wife  and  baby.  But  he  was 
too  late.  Another  party  of  Indians  had  killed  the 


THE  GARRISON  HOUSE 


CARRIED  AWAY  BY  THE  INDIANS         47 

baby,  and  had  carried  away  Mrs.  Dustin  and  the 
nurse  into  the  forest. 

During  the  fifteen-day  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  to  the  stronghold  of  the  Indians  in 
the  wilderness  between  the  Contoocook  and  Merri- 
mack  rivers,  the  captives  endured  untold  hardships. 
Mrs.  Dustin  had  but  one  shoe,  and  neither  woman 
was  clad  for  the  journey.  Snow  and  ice  had  not 
yet  entirely  disappeared,  and  the  exposure  was 
trying.  At  night  they  were  closely  guarded  by  two 
watchful  Indians,  so  that  the  longed-for  opportunity 
to  escape  did  not  present  itself. 

When    they    reached    what    is    now    known    as 
Dustin   Island,  they  found  other  captives  there - 
two  men,  one  woman,  and  seven  children.    There 
was  also  a  boy,  Samuel  Leonardson,  who  had  been 
captured  a  year  before  at  Worcester,  Massachusetts. 

During  the  last  day's  march  they  learned  from 
the  conversation  of  their  captors  that  when  they 
arrived  at  the  permanent  camp  they  were  to  be 
stripped,  scourged,  and  made  to  run  the  gauntlet. 
Through  two  files  of  Indians,  of  both  sexes  and 
all  ages,  they  would  have  to  go,  being  beaten 
by  each  Indian  as  they  passed.  But  the  day  of 
the  execution  of  their  sentence  was  postponed. 
Mrs.  Dustin  determined  that  she  would  not  be 
there  at  the  appointed  time,  but  would  escape  the 


48       REAL  STORIES   FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

indignity  or  die  in  the  attempt.  For  five  weeks 
she  watched  for  her  chance.  The  boy  Samuel  prom 
ised  to  help  her.  At  her  suggestion  he  learned 

from  one  of  the 
Indians  how  to 
scalp  a  man. 

At  last  the  day 
came  when  the 
attempt  to  escape 
was  to  be  made. 
Thinking  that  es 
cape  was  impos 
sible,  the  Indians 
let  the  prisoners 
sleep  unguarded, 
for  they  did  not 
know  that  provi 
sions  and  a  canoe 
had  been  hidden 
in  readiness. 

In  the  silence 
of  the  night  Mrs. 
Dustin,  her  nurse,  and  the  boy  stole  on  the  Indians 
and  succeeded  in  killing  ten  of  them.  One  old 
squaw  and  a  boy  of  eleven  escaped.  After  Mrs. 
Dustin  and  her  companions  had  reached  their 
canoe,  she  went  back  and  scalped  the  Indians,  that 


THE  DUSTIN   MEMORIAL 


CARRIED  AWAY  BY  THE  INDIANS        49 

she  might  claim  the  bounty  offered  by  the  colony 
for  such  trophies.  Then  they  scuttled  the  Indians' 
canoes  and  started  down  the  river. 

Day  after  day  they  paddled  down  the  Merri- 
mack,  the  three  taking  turns  at  the  paddle.  At 
night  they  paused  to  rest,  and  cautiously  a  fire 


'" %**»--tr*;-iL~*fe:; tof:~,^^Jtf£2^~**J*^AZ  ^£ 
**fyi-y  «*&s  -^  £&«^_  <i  ^ jW,r,  £'2£T*i^cwu  /^-^  ^^  X_ 
fe-^V-A/^  •f*r~%~^./J-Mj  g^y^  «^&n0^ee^  <t^ 

Wf^^tM^''  /*-*t  ^/^^  ip  ~^^  ^  KZ3  (t,^**^  {*  r^/t^^^f 
^y  M  H&--  a*'»  t£-ff^***tJ  <**,**->  i+-#xj  tnirt*.-  •>/  »••«•.  »7  j,,,  >'£»v<2  £3  <^f*4_ 


~  ' • 


HANNAH   DUSTTN'S  APPLICATION  FOR  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP,   IN 
WHICH   REFERENCE  IS  MADE  TO  HER  CAPTIVITY 

was  kindled,  that  food  might  be  cooked.  They 
were  in  constant  fear  of  pursuit.  While  two  slept 
a  third  stood  guard.  But  no  Indians  appeared. 

After  many  hardships  they  came  to  the  home 
village.  The  wondering  people,  wrho  had  thought 
they  should  never  see  the  captives  again,  came 
out  to  see  who  the  visitors  could  be.  But,  instead 


50      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

of  strangers,  they  found  their  own  old  neighbors, 
and  their  hearts  were  glad. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Massachusetts  voted 
to  give  Mrs.  Dustin  a  reward  of  twenty-five  pounds, 
while  a  similar  amount  was  divided  between  Mrs. 
Neff  and  the  boy  Samuel.  Later  the  Governor 
of  Maryland  sent  Mrs.  Dustin  a  silver  tankard, 
which  is  still  treasured  by  her  descendants. 

Some  time  after  Mrs.  Dustin's  return  the  family 
moved  into  the  strong  new  house.  This  was 
made  a  garrison  by  order  of  the  committee  of  the 
militia,  organized  by  the  alarmed  villagers.  The 
order,  which  was  dated  April  5,  1697,  was  as 
follows : 

To  Thomas  Dustin,  upon  the  settlement  of  garrisons. 
You  being  appointed  master  of  the  garrison  at  your  house, 
you  are  hereby  in  His  Majesty's  name  required  to  see  that 
a  good  watch  is  kept  at  your  garrison  both  by  night  and  by 
day  by  those  persons  hereinafter  named,  who  are  to  be 
under  your  command  and  inspection  in  building  or  repairing 
your  garrison  ;  and  if  any  persons  refuse  or  neglect  this 
duty,  you  are  accordingly  required  to  make  return  of  the 
same  under  your  hand  to  the  committee  of  the  militia  in 
Haverhill. 

The  garrison  was  completed  by  men  who  worked 
under  guard.  The  Indians  were  so  bold  that  a 
file  of  soldiers  had  to  be  detailed  to  protect  those 


CARRIED  AWAY  BY  THE  INDIANS         51 

who  brought   the  clay   from  the  pits  to  the  yard, 
where  it  was  made  into  bricks. 

Sources.  ROBERT  B.  CAVERLY.  Heroism  of  Hannah  Dustin.  B.  B. 
Russell,  Boston. 

Hannah  Dustin  Papers  (furnished  by  George  F.  Bosworth,  descend 
ant  of  Hannah  Dustin,  Montpelier,  Vermont). 


4^>(MJ<*UWL^U^!UXVU^ 


Not  all  the  Indians  were  hostile.  "  The  Indian  and  the  English 
must  live  in  Love,  as  long  as  the  Sun  gives  light " ;  thus  it  was  de 
cided  by  William  Penn  and  the  Indians  with  whom  he  made  the 
treaty  that  secured  for  him  the  land  on  which  the  city  of  Phila 


delphia  was  built. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A  GREAT  CITY 

Of  all  the  many  Places  I  have  seen  in  the  World,  I  re 
member  not  one  better  seated  ;  so  that  it  seems  to  me  to 
have  been  appointed  for  a  Town. 

This  was  the  judgment  concerning  the  new  town 
of  Philadelphia,  expressed  by  William  Penn  to 
those  interested  financially  in  the  venture.  The 
message  may  be  read  in  full  in  the  quaint  book 
entitled :  "  A  Letter  from  William  Penn,  Proprie 
tary  and  Governour  of  Pennsylvania  in  America, 
to  the  Committee  of  the  Free  Society  of  Traders 
of  that  Province,  residing  in  'London.  Containing 
a  General  Description  of  the  said  Province,  its 
Soil,  Air,  Water,  Seasons  and  Produce,  both  Nat 
ural  and  Artificial,  and  the  good  Encrease  thereof. 
Of  the  Natives  or  Aborigines,  their  language, 
Customs  and  Manners,  Diet,  Houses  or  Wigwams, 
Liberality,  easie  way  of  Living,  Physick,  Burial, 

52 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A  GREAT  CITY      53 

Religion,  Sacrifices  and  Cantico,  Festivals,  Govern 
ment,  and  their  order  in  Council  upon  Treaties  for 
Land,  &c.  and  their  Justice  upon  Evil  Doers.  To 
which  is  added,  An  Account  of  the  City  of  Phila 
delphia,  Newly  laid  out.  Its  Scituation  between  two 
Navigable  Rivers, 
Delaware  and 
Skulkill,  with  a 
Portraiture  and 
Plat-form  thereof. 
Sold  by  Andrew 
Sowle,  at  the 
Crooked-Billet  in 
Holloway-Lane  in 
Shoreditch,and  at 
several  Stationers 
in  London,  1683." 

Those  who  have 
the  opportunity 
of  reading  this 
curious  document  are  able  to  put  themselves  in 
the  place  of  the  staid  Englishmen  who  sought  in 
formation  about  the  strange  land  beyond  the  sea. 
The  writer  regaled  them  with  information  that 
must  have  seemed  somewhat  startling. 

Writers  of  prospectuses  in  these  late  days  would 
read    with    disdain    the    proprietor's    introductory 


TYPE  OF  WILLIAM   PENN'S  SHIP,  WELCOME 
From  a  contemporary  engraving 


54      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

words  concerning  his  province  of  Pennsylvania: 
:f  The  Country  itself  in  its  Soyle,  Air,  Water, 
Seasons  and  Produce  both  natural  and  artificial 
is  not  to  be  despised."  Later,  however,  he  be 
came  almost  enthusiastic  when  writing  of  the 


PENN'S  TREATY  WITH  THE  INDIANS 

natural  beauty  of  the  country.  "  The  Woods  are 
adorned  with  lovely  Flowers,  for  color,  greatness, 
perfume  and  variety.  I  have  seen  the  Gardens 
of  London  best  stored  with  that  sort  of  Beauty, 
but  think  they  may  be  improved  by  our  woods. 
I  have  sent  a  few  to  a  Person  of  Quality  this 
year  for  tryal." 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A  GREAT  CITY     55 

Of  the  Indians  he  wrote  rather  fully.  His  de 
scriptions  of  their  ways  show  how  easy  it  was  to 
deal  with  them  till  they  learned  that  the  white 
man  could  be  treacherous. 

One  paragraph  reads: 

If  an  European  comes  to  see  them  or  calls  for  Lodging 
at  their  House  or  Wigwam,  they  give  him  the  best  place 
and  first  cut.  If  they  come  to  visit  us  they  salute  us  with 
an  Itah  which  is  as  much  as  to  say,  Good  be  to  you,  and 
set  them  down,  which  is  mostly  on  the  Ground  close  to 
their  Heels,  their  Legs  upright ;  may  be  they  speak  not  a 
word  more,  but  observe  all  Passages  :  If  you  give  them  any 
thing  to  eat  or  drink,  well,  for  they  will  not  ask ;  and  be  it 
little  or  much,  if  it  be  with  Kindness,  they  are  well  pleased, 
else  they  will  go  away  sullen,  but  say  nothing. 

Here  is  another  statement : 

In  Liberality  they  excell,  nothing  is  too  good  for  their 
friend ;  give  them  a  fine  Gun,  Coat,  or  other  thing,  it  may 
pass  twenty  hands,  before  it  sticks ;  light  of  Heart,  strong 
Affections,  but  soon  spent ;  the  most  merry  Creatures  that 
live.  Feast  and  Dance  perpetually ;  they  never  have  much, 
nor  want  much.  Wealth  circulateth  like  the  Blood,  all 
parts  partake,  and  though  none  shall  want  what  another  hath 
yet  exact  Observers  of  Property.  Some  Kings  have  sold, 
others  presented  me  with  several  Parcels  of  Land ;  the  Pay 
or  Presents  I  made  them,  were  not  hoarded  by  the  partic 
ular  Owners,  but  the  neighbouring  Kings  and  their  Clans 
bring  present,  when  the  Goods  were  brought  out,  the  parties 
chiefly  concerned  consulted,  what  and  to  whom  they  should 


56      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

give  them :  To  every  King  then,  by  the  hands  of  a  Person 
for  that  work  appointed,  is  a  proportionment  so  sorted  and 
folded,  and  with  that  Gravity,  that  is  admirable.  Then  that 
King  sub-divideth  it  in  like  manner  among  his  Dependents, 
they  hardly  leaving  themselves  an  Equal  share  with  one  of 
their  Subjects  ;  and  be  it  on  such  occasions,  at  Festivals,  or 


THE  OLD  COURTHOUSE,  PHILADELPHIA,   BUILT  IN  1707 

at  their  common  Meals,  the  Kings  distribute,  and  to  them 
selves  last.  They  care  for  little,  because  they  want  but  little ; 
and  the  Reason  is,  a  little  contents  them :  In  this  they  are 
sufficiently  revenged  on  us ;  if  they  are  ignorant  of  our 
Pleasures,  they  are  also  free  from  our  Pains. 

Concerning  a  council  for  treaty-making,  Penn 
wrote : 

Their  Order  is  thus  :  The  King  sits  in  the  middle  of  a 
half  Moon,  and  hath  his  Council,  the  old  and  Wise  on  each 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A  GREAT  CITY      57 

hand.  Behind  them,  or  at  a  little  distance,  sit  the  younger 
Fry,  in  the  same  figure.  Having  consulted  and  resolved 
their  business,  the  King  ordered  one  of  them  to  speak  to 
me ;  he  stood  up,  came  to  me,  and  in  the  Name  of  his  King 
saluted  me,  then  took  me  by  the  hand  and  told  me,  that  he 
was  ordered  by  his  King  to  speak  to  me,  and  that  now  it 


THE  LETITIA  PENN   HOUSE 
Now  in  Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia 

was  not  he,  but  the  King  that  spoke,  because  what  he  should 
say,  was  the  King's  mind.  .  .  .  Having  thus  introduced  his 
matter,  he  fell  to  the  Bounds  of  the  Land  they  had  agreed 
to  dispose  of  and  the  Price,  (which  now  is  little  and  dear, 
that  which  would  have  bought  twenty  Miles,  not  buying 
now  two).  .  .  .  When  the  Purchase  was  agreed,  great  Prom 
ises  past  between  us  of  Kindness  and  good  Neighbour 
hood,  and  that  the  Indians  and  English  must  live  in  Love, 
so  long  as  the  Sun  gave  light  Which  done,  another  made 


AN  EARLY  TREATY  WITH  THE  INDIANS 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  A   GREAT   CITY      59 

a  Speech  to  the  Indians,  in  the  Name  of  all  the  Kings, 
first  to  tell  them  what  was  done  ;  next,  to  charge  and  com 
mand  them  to  Love  the  Christians  and  particularly  live  in 
Peace  with  me,  and  the  People  under  my  Government :  That 
many  Governours  had  been  in  the  River,  but  that  no  Gov- 
ernour  had  come  himself  to  live  and  stay  here  before  ;  and 
having  now  such  a  one  that  had  treated  them  well,  they 
should  never  do  him  or  his  any  wrong. 

Perm  pointed  with  pride  to  the  record  of  the  city 
built  on  part  of  the  ground  thus  bought  from  the 
Indians.  He  wrote:  "It  is  advanced  within  less 
than  a  year  to  about  Four  score  Houses  and  Cot 
tages,  such  as  they  are,  where  Merchants  and 
Handicrafts  are  following  their  vocations  as  fast 
as  they  can,  while  the  Country-Men  are  close  at 
their  farms." 

In  conclusion  he  gave  this  message:  "I  bless 
God,  I  am  fully  satisfied  with  the  Country  and 
Entertainment  I  can  get  in  it;  for  I  find  that 
peculiar  content  which  hath  alwayes  attended  me, 
where  God  in  his  Providence  hath  made  it  my 
place  and  service  to  reside." 

Source.  A  Letter  from  William  Penn,  Proprietary  and  Governour 
of  Pennsylvania  in  America.  Andrew  Sowle,  London,  1 683  ;  reprinted 
by  James  Coleman,  London,  1881. 


.^S\^A^A\V-x>V^kJVVWxW^AAX^A^ 


Shall  we  enter  the  house  of  one  who  lived,  with  his  wife,  near 
old  Philadelphia,  in  the  midst  of  "  a  garden  of  delight,"  of  which 
he  dreamed  when  he  was  still  a  boy  ?  That  garden  and  that 
house  may  be  seen  to-day  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  within 
three  miles  of  the  center  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER  IX 

AN   EARLY  HOME  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA 

There  is  still  standing,  now  within  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  a  house  built  in  1731  by  John  Bar- 
tram,  who  was  born  in  1699.  When  a  boy,  he 
dreamed  of  building  a  home  which  should  be  set 
in  the  midst  of  a  garden  of  delight.  As  he  plowed 
his  fields  and  mowed  his  meadows  he  pictured  to 
himself  what  his  garden  would  be  like.  And 
when  he  became  a  man  he  found  the  way  to 
begin  the  work. 

First  he  built  a  large  house.  Next  he  hewed 
out  of  stone  a  great  watering  trough,  and  made 
a  wonderful  cider  mill  in  a  ledge  of  rock  on  the 
bank  of  the  Schuylkill.  Then  he  was  ready  to 
plant  his  garden. 

But  this  colonial  dreamer  was  not  content  to 
have  a  garden  like  those  of  his  neighbors.  He 

wanted  a  garden  that  would  be  a  pleasure  to  him, 

60 


AN   EARLY  HOME  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA      61 


should    see    it.      He 
plants    and    trees 


and    a    wonder    to    all    who 
wished    to    bring    to    it    curious 
from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

If  he  had  told  his  neighbors  of  his  plans,  they 
would  probably  have  laughed  at  him.     But  he  did 


THE  HOME  IN  THE  GARDEN  OF  DELIGHT 

not  talk  of  what  he  intended  to  do.  As  he  had 
not  gone  to  school  much,  he  did  not  know  many 
things  which  would  be  necessary  in  his  work.  So 
he  studied  at  home,  teaching  himself  Latin  and 
Greek,  as  well  as  more  ordinary  subjects.  It  was 
hard  to  study  alone,  but  he  persevered. 


62       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

First  he  wished  to  get  plants  from  other  parts 
of  America.  As  the  only  way  to  do  this  was  to 
go  after  them,  he  decided  to  give  a  part  of  each 
year  to  journeys  far  from  home.  He  knew  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  travel  through  the  mountains 
and  the  wilderness,  but  he  was  not  afraid.  He  went 
as  far  north  as  Lake  Ontario  and  as  far  south  as 
Florida.  Many  times  he  narrowly  escaped  death  by 
exposure  or  at  the  hands  of  Indians.  Yet  always 
he  took  home  with  him  some  precious  specimen  of 
tree  or  shrub  or  plant. 

Soon  his  garden  became  famous  throughout  the 
colonies.  The  king  of  England  heard  of  him,  and 
asked  him  to  send  to  England  word  of  his  explora 
tions  and  samples  of  the  plants  found. 

In  1769  a  man  from  England  visited  him  at  his 
Philadelphia  home.  After  looking  in  amazement  at 
the  five  acres  of  garden,  the  visitor  asked  him  how 
he  learned  to  love  botany-.  This  was  the  answer: 

One  day  I  was  very  busy  in  holding  my  plow  (for  thou 
seest  I  am  but  a  plowman),  and  being  weary  I  ran  under 
the  shade  of  a  tree  to  refresh  myself.  I  cast  my  eye  on  a 
daisy.  I  plucked  it  mechanically,  and  viewed  it  with  more 
curiosity  than  common  country  farmers  are  wont  to  do,  and 
observed  therein  very  many  distinct  parts  —  some  perpendic 
ular,  some  horizontal.  "What  a  shame,"  said  my  mind,  or 
something  that  inspired  my  mind,  "  that  thou  shouldst  have 


AN   EARLY  HOME  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA     63 


employed  so  many  years  in  tilling  the  earth  and  destroying 
so  many  flowers  and  plants,  without  being  acquainted  with 
their  structure  and  their  uses."  I  returned  to  my  team,  but 
this  new  desire  did 
not  quit  my  mind  ; 
I  mentioned  it  to 
my  wife,  who  greatly 
discouraged  me.  I 
thought  about  it  con 
tinually — at  supper, 
in  bed,  and  wher 
ever  I  went.  At 
last  I  could  not 
resist  the  impulse ; 
for  on  the  fourth 
day  of  the  follow 
ing  week,  I  hired  a 
man  to  plow  for  me, 
and  went  to  Phila 
delphia.  Though  I 
knew  not  what  book 
to  call  for,  I  told 
the  bookseller  my 
errand,  who  pro 
vided  me  with  what 
he  thought  best,  and 
a  Latin  grammar 
beside.  Next  I  applied  to  a  neighboring  schoolmaster  who, 
in  three  months,  taught  me  Latin  enough  to  understand 
Linnaeus,  which  I  purchased  afterward.  Then  I  began  to 
botanize  all  over  my  farm.  In  a  little  while  I  became 


THE  CYPRESS  IN  BARTRAM'S  GARDEN 
AS  IT  WAS  IN  1875 


64      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

acquainted  with  every  vegetable  that  grew  in  my  neighbor 
hood,  and  next  ventured  into  Maryland.  In  proportion  as  I 
thought  myself  more  learned,  I  proceeded  forth  and  by  a 
steady  application  of  several  years,  I  have  acquired  a  pretty 
general  knowledge  of  every  tree  and  plant  to  be  found  in 
our  continent.  In  process  of  time  I  was  applied  to  from  the 
old  countries  whither  I  every  year  send  many  collections. 

Bart  ram's  garden  was  one  of  the  wonders  of 
colonial  days.  There  Washington  and  Franklin 
and  Jefferson  used  to  go  for  rest  and  refreshment, 
and  there  tens  of  thousands  of  others  have  had 
that  intimate  communion  with  nature  which  the 
proprietor  of  the  garden  made  possible  for  them 
by  his  years  of  loving  toil. 

When  he  was  dying,  he  feared  that  his  garden 
would  be  laid  waste  by  the  British  army,  which 
was  advancing  from  the  Brandywine.  But  he  did 
not  live  to  see  the  soldiers.  He  died,  September 
22,  1777,  before  they  reached  Philadelphia.  When 
the  soldiers  finally  came  and  saw  the  garden,  they 
passed  it  by,  leaving  it  unharmed. 

To-day  the  garden  is  a  park  belonging  to  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  Many  of  the  trees  have 
perished.  One  relic  of  the  past  still  stands,  the 
great  trunk  of  a  cypress  planted  about  1735.  On 
one  of  his  trips  into  Delaware  the  botanist  pro 
cured  the  cypress  slip,  which  he  carried  home  in 


AN   EARLY  HOME  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA     65 

his  saddlebags.  It  grew  to  be  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high  and  twenty-seven  feet  in  circum 
ference.  In  1899  it  still  bore  a  few  live  twigs. 
Now  the  dead  trunk,  surrounded  by  an  iron  rail 
ing  to  protect  it  from  vandals,  is  all  that  is  left. 

Yet  many  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  planted  by  the 
colonial  botanist  are  still  green.  Above  the  house 
waves  a  jujube  tree,  planted  in  1735,  and  over  the 
arbor  hangs  a  trumpet  vine  which  was  sent  from 
North  Carolina  in  1749. 

Sources.  WILLIAM  DARLINGTON.  Memorials  of  John  Bartram. 
Lindsay  and  Blackiston,  Philadelphia,  1849. 

John  Bartram.    Issued  by  the  John  Bartram  Association,  Philadelphia. 


What  should  you  think  of  paying  a  basket  of  wheat  as  the 
membership  fee  in  a  library  ?  At  one  time  this  was  the  appointed 
fee  for  those  who  used  the  oldest  library  in  America,  the  Library 
Company  of  Philadelphia.  On  the  shelves  of  this  library  may  be 
found  many  of  the  diaries  and  other  volumes  quoted  in  this  book. 


wAY^^ 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  OLDEST  LIBRARY  IN  AMERICA 

One  of  the  interesting  things  mentioned  by 
Benjamin  Franklin  in  his  autobiography  is  a  meet 
ing  of  the  Junto,  a  club  of  which  he  was  a  mem 
ber.  It  was  decided  that  the  club  should  have  a 
library,  and  each  member  was  to  bring  a  number 
of  books  for  the  purpose. 

The  plan  did  not  work  very  well,  and  after  a 
year  Franklin  proposed  a  subscription  library  in 
stead.  On  July  i,  1731,  one  hundred  members 
formed  the  first  American  subscription  library. 

The  list  of  books  ordered  from  London  in  1732 
would  not  attract  many  readers  to-day.  There  was 
not  one  book  that  a  child  would  care  to  read. 
The  day  of  attractive  books  for  children  was  yet 
far  distant. 

The  volumes  were  taken  to  the  home  of  one 
of  the  members  in  Pewter  Platter  Alley.  Soon 

66 


THE  OLDEST  LIBRARY   IN  AMERICA      67 

afterwards    this    record    was    made    in    the    minute 
book  of   the    new   library: 

Louis  Timothee  was  contracted  with  to  be  Librarian. 
The  order  was  made  that  Mr.  Timothee 's  term  of  office 
should  be  for  three  months,  that  he  should  receive  for  the 
use  and  care  of  the  room  and  for  his  services  "  Three 
Pounds  "  lawful  money  certain,  and  such  a  further  allowance 
as  then  after  such  time  of  experience  shall  by  the  parties 
here  be  thought  and  concluded  to  be  a  reasonable  reward. 

When  Mr.  Timothee's  term  expired,  Benjamin 
Franklin  became  librarian  for  a  like  term  and  at 
the  same  salary. 

On  December  n,  1732,  "  B.  Franklin  was  asked 
what  his  charge  was  for  printing  a  catalogue  .  .  . 
for  each  subscriber,  and  his  answer  was  that  he 
designed  them  for  presents,  and  should  make  no 
charge  for  them." 

In  January,  1738,  John  Penn  wrote  to  the 
Library  Company  offering  to  send  "an  air-pump, 
with  some  other  things  to  shew  the  nature  and 
power  of  the  air."  It  was  "  ordered  that  B.  Franklin 
get  a  frame  and  case  made,  with  glass  lights  in  the 
door,  to  receive  and  preserve  the  air-pump  with  its 
appendages,  and  to  look  ornamental  in  the  Library 
room."  This  case  still  stands  in  the  library,  with 
the  remains  of  the  air  pump  in  it,  a  rare  specimen 
of  the  hand  carving  and  woodwork  of  the  period. 


68       REAL  STORIES   EROM   OUR  HISTORY 


In  1740  the  "books  and  air-pump"  were  re 
moved  to  the  "  upper  room  of  the  westernmost 
office  of  the  State  House"  (now  known  as  Inde 
pendence  Hall).  The  monthly  meetings  of  the  di 
rectors  were  held 
first  at  the  home 
of  the  Widow 
Roberts,  then,  suc 
cessively,  with  the 
Widow  Breitnals, 
the  Widow  Pratt, 
and  the  Widow 
Biddle. 

In  1773  the  li 
brary  was  moved 
from  the  State 
House  to  quar 
ters  in  Carpen 
ter's  Hall.  A  few 
months  later,  when 
Congress  was  in 
session  in  the 
State  House,  the 

librarian  was  directed  to  permit  the  members  to  bor 
row  books.  In  1791  also  this  courtesy  was  shown  to 
Congress,  then  meeting  in  the  city,  a  letter  of  thanks 
for  the  service  being  sent  by  George  Washington. 


WILT  JAM   PKNN'S  DESK 


THE  OLDEST  LIBRARY  IN  AMERICA      69 

When  the  British  were  in  Philadelphia  officers 
borrowed  the  books,  always  leaving  the  required 
deposit. 

In  1777,  when  the  library's  quarters  were  used  by 
the  British  as  a  hospital,  the  secretary  was  ordered 
to  insert  this  advertisement  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Gazette : 

The  members  of  the  Library  Company  of  Philadelphia 
are  hereby  notified  that  books  may  be  procured  from  the 
said  Library  by  application  at  the  house  of  the  Librarian  on 
the  south  side  of  Market  Street,  four  doors  below  Fourth 
Street,  between  the  hours  of  five  and  seven  in  the  afternoon 
of  every  day,  and  leaving  a  signed  note  for  such  books  as 
they  may  respectively  want.  The  lower  part  of  the  Library 
being  at  present  used  as  an  infirmary  for  the  sick  soldiery, 
renders  it  inconvenient  for  the  Librarian  to  attend  at  the 
Library  Room  as  usual. 

Two  minutes  entered  in  the  record  book  during 
the  war  give  hints  of  the  poverty  of  the  residents 
of  the  Quaker  City : 

NOVEMBER,  1778.  The  Directors  taking  into  consider 
ation  the  high  prices  of  firewood,  candles,  etc.,  agreed  that 
the  Library  be  open  during  the  winter  months  only  upon 
Wednesday  and  Saturday  from  two  till  eight. 

MAY  4,  1781.  The  Directors  agree  that  thirty  shil 
lings,  State  money,  be  received  in  lieu  of  a  basket  of 
wheat,  by  which  the  annual  payments  were  last  year  directed 
to  be  made. 


70      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

In  1797  President  Washington  was  invited  to 
use  the  library,  a  specially  bound  catalogue  of  the 
books  being  presented  to  him  for  his  use.  In  1824 
the  free  use  of  the  library  was  tendered  to  Genera] 
Lafayette. 

To-day  the  library  contains  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  volumes.  But  more  precious 
than  the  books  are  the  souvenirs  of  the  past.  One 
of  these  is  an  oil  painting  some  eight  feet  long, 
entitled  "  A  South  East  Prospect  of  the  City  of 
Philadelphia,  by  Peter  Cooper,  painter."  It  is  sup 
posed  to  have  been  painted  in  1720,  and  is  inter 
esting  as  showing  the  houses  on  the  water  front 
with  the  names  of  the  owners.  The  picture  was 
found  in  a  secondhand  dealer's  shop  in  London 
and  given  to  the  library. 

Source.  GEORGE  M.  ABBOT.  A  Short  History  of  the  Library 
Company  of  Philadelphia.  Compiled  from  the  minutes. 


For  our  knowledge  of  early  days  in  the  colonies  we  are  not  de 
pendent  altogether  on  the  writings  of  men  and  women.  Fortunately 
there  have  come  down  to  us  records  made  by  boys  and  girls  as  well. 

Esther  Edwards  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  began  her 
diary  on  her  ninth  birthday.  Let  her  tell  her  own  story. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  ROMANCE  OF  COLONIAL  DAYS 

This  is  my  ninth  birthday,  and  Mrs.  Edwards,  my  mother, 
has  had  me  stitch  these  sundry  sheets  of  paper  into  a  book 
to  make  me  a  journal.  Methinks,  almost  all  this  family 
keep  journals  ;  though  they  seldom  show  them.  But  Mrs. 
Edwards  is  to  see  mine,  because  she  needs  to  know  whether 
I  improve  in  composing  ;  also,  whether  I  am  learning  to  keep 
my  heart  with  all  diligence ;  in  which  we  are  all  constrained 
to  be  engaged. 

These  lines,  written  under  date  of  February 
13,  1741,  were  the  first  entry  in  the  journal  of 
Esther  Edwards,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jona 
than  Edwards,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Edwards  was  pastor  of  the  village  church. 

Once,  a  little  later,  after  her  mother  had  ex 
amined  her  journal,  Esther  wrote  this : 

My  mother  says  my  journal  thus  far  is  rather  stilted 
and  mature  for  me ;  though  everything  in  the  family  is 

71 


72       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

mature.  I  have  a  letter  of  my  father's,  written  when  he 
was  younger  than  I  am,  which  I  shall  transcribe,  just  to 
show  where  the  present  writer  gets  her  stilts  and  maturity. 

Esther's  first  experience  of  romance  in  real  life 
came  when  David  Brainerd,  the  famous  missionary 


BRAINERD  PREACHING  TO  THE  INDIANS 


to  the  Indians,  was  expelled  from  Yale  College 
because  he  had  said  of  a  tutor  that  he  had  no 
more  religion  than  a  chair.  He  soon  found  refuge 
in  the  Edwards  home.  Esther  wrote  of  him : 

He  is  likely  to  become  a  member  of  this  family,  it  seems. 
Soon  after  coming  to  Northampton  he  displayed  strong 
affinity  for  Jerusha,  our  sister  of  seventeen.  Thus  far,  his 


A  ROMANCE  OF  COLONIAL  DAYS          73 

Indian  missionary  labors  have  been  solitary.  He  thinks  this 
a  mistake.  He  has  had  no  domestic  attention,  no  home 
care,  no  one  to  hold  him  back  from  over-exertion.  And  he 
means  now,  should  he  ever  recover,  which  I  very  much 
misdoubt,  to  take  a  female  helpmate  back  with  him.  I  am 
pretty  sure  this  kind  of  love  would  never  satisfy  me.  I 
believe  he  loves  her  more  because  she  will  make  a  good 
missionary  than  for  any  other  reason.  But  little  does  the 
dear  girl  care. 

The  young  missionary  became  more  and  more 
of  an  invalid,  wearing  himself  out  in  his  work. 
Jerusha  cared  for  him  tenderly.  He  died  October 
9,  1747;  Jerusha  Edwards  followed  him  in  four 
months,  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

Now  Esther  was  to  take  her  place  as  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  home.  Though  only  fifteen,  she 
was  in  many  ways  a  woman. 

In  1750  her  father  was  driven  from  Northampton 
by  people  who  did  not  believe  in  him.  He  took 
his  family  to  Stockbridge,  where  he  began  work 
without  salary  among  the  Indians.  Esther  wrote 
of  the  life  there : 

This  family  is  very  busy  making  lace  and  embroidery,  so 
as  to  replenish  the  household  treasury.  In  Northampton, 
my  honored  father  had  purchased  a  valuable  homestead, 
with  land  for  fuel  and  pasturing,  and  had  erected  a  commo 
dious  dwelling  house.  These  had  by  our  exercising  the 
strictest  economy  all  been  paid  for,  before  his  removal. 


74      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Among  the  bitterest  of  our  experiences,  therefore,  was  to 
be  sent  roofless  and  homeless  to  a  wilderness.  But  neither 
my  honored  mother,  nor  any  of  the  children  bated  a  jot 
of  hope.  We  began  at  once  the  making  and  decoration  of 
fans  and  other  ornamental  work,  which  we  were  assisted  to 
dispose  of  in  Boston,  by  our  friends,  the  Princes,  there. 
How  narrow  our  circumstances  were  may  be  seen  from  the 
necessity  put  upon  our  father  to  use  the  margins  of  other 
wise  useless  pamphlets  and  the  backs  of  letters,  on  which 
to  write  his  sermons  and  treatises. 

Less  than  two  years  later  Esther  left  her  Massa 
chusetts  home  to  go  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where 
she  was  to  marry  Reverend  Aaron  Burr,  president  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey.  She  made  the  journey 
on  horseback,  her  mother  being  her  only  companion. 
As  she  rode  through  the  forest  she  sang  the  song 
she  had  herself  composed  as  an  expression  of  her 
happiness : 

My  love  hath  love  that  he  sendeth  me 

From  the  piney  wilds  of  the  Newark  sea, 

From  the  piney  wilds,  where  the  Mayflow'r  blows, 

And  the  princely  Hudson  seaward  goes. 

And  I  have  love  that  I  waft  to  him, 

As  I  mount  my  steed  for  the  Hudson's  brim  ; 

As  I  mount  my  steed  and  speed  to  him. 

It  was  in  this  home  to  which  she  went  so  gladly 
that  Aaron  Burr,  who  was  to  become  vice  president 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  HER  MARRIAGE 


;6       REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

of  the  United  States,  was  born.    When  he  was  two 
years  old  his  mother  wrote : 

Aaron  is  a  little  dirty,  noisy  boy,  very  different  from 
Sally  almost  in  everything.  He  begins  to  talk  a  little,  is 
very  sly,  mischievous,  and  has  more  sprightliness  than  Sally. 
I  must  say  he  is  handsomer,  but  not  so  good-tempered. 
He  is  very  resolute,  and  requires  a  good  governor  to  bring 
him  to  terms. 

Soiirce.  JAMES  EAMES  RANKIN  (Editor).  Esther  Burr's  Journal. 
Woodward  and  Lothrop,  Washington,  D.  C. 


'^ 


"  Do  send  a  five-dollar  bill  by  the  post  immediately ! " 
It  was  a  Maine  girl  of  the  eighteenth  century  who  sent  this 
urgent  request  to    her   parents.     She  was    ashamed  to   go   into 
company  without  something  the  five  dollars  would  buy.     What 
was  it?    Her  diary  will  tell. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  HEART  OF  AN  EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY  GIRL 

Eliza  Southgate  lived  in  Scarboro,  Maine,  near 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Her  life  is 
faithfully  pictured  for  readers  of  to-day  in  her  let 
ters  to  friends  and  relatives. 

These  letters  are  full  of  lively  descriptions  of 
people  and  things.  The  young  girl  was  a  careful 
observer,  and  she  had  an  entertaining  way  of  telling 
what  she  saw.  But  far  more  interesting  than  these 
descriptive  passages  in  her  letters  are  the  sen 
tences  and  paragraphs  which  give  a  glimpse  of  the 
heart  of  the  writer.  She  was  not  only  a  good 
friend ;  she  was  also  a  dutiful  daughter  who  loved 
her  parents  and  honored  them. 

When,  at  fourteen  years  of  age,  she  was  absent 
from  home,  attending  a  boarding  school,  she  wrote 
to  her  father  and  mother,  under  date  of  May 
twenty-fifth,  1 797 : 

77 


78       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

I  hope  I  am  in  some  measure  sensible  of  the  great  obli 
gation  I  am  under  to  you  for  the  inexpressible  kindness  and 
attention  which  I  have  received  from  you,  from  the  cradle 
to  my  present  situation  in  school.  Many  have  been  your 
anxious  cares  for  the  welfare  of  me,  your  child,  at  every 
stage  of  my  inexperienced  life.  In  my  infancy  you  nursed 
me  and  reared  me  up,  my  inclinations  you  have  indulged, 
and  my  follies  you  have  checked.  You  have  liberally  fed 
me  with  the  bounty  of  your  table,  and  from  your  instruc 
tive  lips  I  have  been  admonished  to  virtue,  morality  and  reli 
gion.  The  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  you  is  great,  yet  I  hope 
to  repay  you  by  duly  attending  to  your  counsels  and  to 
my  improvement  in  useful  knowledge. 

My  thankful  heart  with  grateful  feelings  beats, 
With  filial  duty  I  my  parents  greet. 
Your  fostering  care  hath  reared  me  from  my  birth, 
And  been  my  guardians  since  I  've  been  on  earth. 
With  love  unequalled  taught  the  surest  way 
And  checked  my  passions  when  they  went  astray. 
I  wish  and  trust  to  glad  declining  years  — 
Make  each  heart  gay,  each  eye  refrain  from  tears. 
When  days  are  finished  and  when  time  shall  cease, 
May  you  be  wafted  to  eternal  peace. 

Again,  a  little  later,  she  wrote  thus  to  her 
mother: 

With  what  pleasure  did  I  receive  your  letter  and  hear 
the  praises  of  an  approving  mother.  It  shall  be  my  duty  to 
please  and  make  you  happy. 

Your  affectionate  and  most  dutiful  daughter. 


©  Curtis  &  Cameron,  Boston 


A  BELLE  OF  THE  COLONIES 
From  a  Copley  Print 


79 


So      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Her  homesickness,  usually  so  well  concealed, 
found  expression  on  one  occasion,  when  she  wrote : 

Never  did  I  know  the  worth  of  good  parents  half  so 
much  as  now  I  am  far  from  them.  I  never  missed  home 
dainties  so  much,  and  above  all  things  our  cheese  and  butter, 
which  we  have  very  little  of !  But  I  am  very  contented. 

She  was  so  well  content  that  she  desired  to 
remain  at  school  longer  than  the  term  originally 
arranged  for.  Her  request  for  an  extension  of  time 
was  put  thus :  "  I  should  feel  happy  and  very  grate 
ful  if  you  thought  proper  to  let  me  tarry." 

The  letter  from  her  mother  which  gave  the 
desired  permission  evidently  spoke  of  the  privation 
suffered  in  the  continued  loss  of  the  daughter's 
presence,  for  Eliza's  next  message  was: 

You  say  that  you  will  regret  so  long  an  absence  ;  not  more 
certainly  than  I  shall.  But  having  a  strong  desire  to  possess 
more  useful  knowledge  than  I  at  present  do,  I  can  dispense 
with  the  pleasure  a  little  longer  of  beholding  my  friends, 
and  I  hope  I  shall  be  better  prepared  to  meet  my  good 
parents,  toward  whom  my  heart  overflows  with  gratitude. 

•  ,  ;\. 

Eliza  was  now  fifteen,  and  was  making  good 
progress  in  her  studies.  She  spoke  of  arithmetic 
as  her  chief  study.  At  first  she  used  a  small  text 
book,  and  later  reviewed  the  subject  by  preparing 
a  manuscript  arithmetic  of  her  own.  When  com 
pleted  this  was  bound  and  sent  home. 


V". 


.BO! 


OPIRSt 


X  j& .  i  £ 


I 


A  SAMPLER  DONE  BY  CLARISSA  EMERSON  OF  LANCASTER, 
MASSACHUSETTS 


82       REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

After  some  months  in  the  school  she  thanked 
her  brother  for  his  statement  that  she  had  im 
proved  in  her  writing.  "  I  am  glad  of  it,"  she  wrote. 
"  I  hope  I  shall  make  as  great  progress  in  my 
other  studies,  and  be  an  accomplished  miss." 

Here  is  a  letter  sent  to  her  father: 

I  hope  by  the  help  of  heaven  never  to  cause  shame  or 
misery  to  attend  the  gray  hairs  of  my  parents  .  .  .  but  on 
the  contrary  to  glad  your  declining  years  with  happiness, 
and  that  you  may  never  have  cause  to  rue  the  day  that 
gave  me  existence. 

After  spending  eighteen  months  at  Medford,  she 
was  transferred  to  a  school  in  Boston.  From  there 
she  wrote  to  her  father: 

I  learn  geography  and  embroidery  at  present,  and  wish 
your  permission  to  learn  music.  You  may  justly  say,  my 
best  of  fathers,  that  every  letter  of  mine  is  one  which  is 
asking  for  something  more.  I  only  ask.  If  you  refuse 
me,  I  know  you  do  what  you  think  best,  and  I  am  sure  I 
ought  not  to  complain,  for  you  have  never  yet  refused  me 
anything  that  I  have  needed.  My  best  of  parents,  how  shall 
I  repay  you  ?  You  answer,  "  By  your  good  behavior." 
Heaven  grant  that  it  may  be  such  as  may  repay  you. 

She  made  mistakes,  and  once  at  least,  she  seri 
ously  grieved  her  parents  by  her  misconduct.  They 
wrote  her  of  their  sorrow.  Here  is  her  reply :  "  I 
see  my  errors,  and  if  I  can  only  hope  they  will 


AN   EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY  GIRL          83 

be  no  longer  remembered  by  my  parents,  I  shall 
again  be  happy." 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  she  left  school  and 
was  having  a  rather  gay  time  among  the  young 
men  of  Boston.  Changed  surroundings  suggested 
new  wants,  and  again  she  sent  a  request  home : 

What  do  you  think  I  am  going  to  ask  for  ?  A  wig !  I 
must  either  cut  my  hair  or  wear  one ;  I  cannot  dress  it  at 
all  stylish.  How  much  time  it  will  save  !  —  in  one  year  we 
could  save  it  in  pins  and  paper,  besides  the  trouble.  At  the 
Assembly  I  was  quite  ashamed  of  my  head,  for  nobody  has 
long  hair.  If  you  will  consent  to  my  having  one,  do  send  over 
a  five-dollar  bill  by  the  post  immediately  after  you  receive 
this,  for  I  am  in  hopes  to  have  it  by  the  next  Assembly. 

To  her  younger  sister  Octavia,  who  was,  in  her 
turn,  away  from  home,  studying  music,  she  wrote : 

My  musical  talents  will  be  dim  when  compared  with  the 
luster  of  yours.  Pooh,  Eliza  !  You  are  not  envious  ?  No  !  I 
will  excel  in  something  else  if  not  in  music.  Oh,  nonsense ! 
This  spirit  of  emulation  in  families  is  destructive  of  concord 
and  harmony.  At  least  I  will  endeavor  to  excel  you  in 
sisterly  affection.  If  you  outshine  me  in  accomplishments, 
will  it  not  be  all  in  the  family  ?  Certainly ! 

In  a  letter  to  this  same  sister  the  seventeen-year- 
old  woman  of  the  world  gave  the  following  sage 
counsel : 

I  think,  my  dear  sister,  you  ought  to  improve  every  mo 
ment  of  your  time  while  in  school.  In  November  terminates 


84      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

the  period  of  your  instruction  —  the  last  you  will  receive, 
perhaps  ever  —  only  what  you  may  gain  by  observation. 
You  will  never  cease  to  learn,  I  hope.  The  world  is  a 
volume  of  instruction,  which  will  afford  you  continual  em 
ployment.  Peruse  it  with  attention  and  candor,  and  you 
will  never  think  the  time  thus  employed  misspent. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  Eliza  went  on  a  journey 
to  Saratoga  Springs.  On  the  way  she  met  the 
young  man  who  later  became  her  husband.  As 
always,  she  remembered  her  duty  to  her  father 
and  mother.  In  writing  of  his  intention  to  seek 
her  parents'  consent  to  their  marriage,  she  added : 

And  now,  my  dearest  mother,  I  submit  myself  wholly  to 
the  wishes  of  my  father,  and  you,  convinced  that  my  happi 
ness  is  your  warmest  wish,  and  to  promote  it  has  ever  been 
your  duty.  I  have  referred  him  wholly  to  you,  and  you,  my 
dearest  parents,  must  decide. 

The  parents  decided  favorably,  and  Eliza  South- 
gate  was  married.  Six  years  the  young  people 
spent  in  their  own  home  in  New  York.  Then 
Eliza  died.  But  her  influence  survives  in  these 
letters,  which  preach  a  sermon  whose  text  is  the 
fifth  commandment. 

Sources.  E.  S.  BOWNE.  A  Girl's  Life  Eighty  Years  Ago.  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  New  York. 

LEONARD  B.  CHAPMAN.  Monograph  on  the  Southgate  Family. 
Hubbard  W.  Bryant,  Portland,  Maine. 


wML/i^Vx^ 


There  was  no  lack  of  work  for  the  boys  of  the  early  days. 
Some  worked  on  land;  others  worked  with  their  fathers  on  the 
sea.  Fishing  smacks  and  coasting  vessels  lured  many  of  them 
from  home,  but  the  ships  which  most  attracted  them  were  those 
of  the  famous  whaling  fleet. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WHALE-FISHING  IN  COLONIAL  DAYS 

In  these  days  of  kerosene  oil  and  gas  and  electric 
lights  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  important 
the  whale  was  to  the  early  settlers.  Indeed,  even  be 
fore  their  day  the  Indians  were  accustomed  to  hunt 
the  whale  in  bark  canoes,  frail  craft,  held  together 
with  tough  sinews  and  with  the  cracks  stopped  up 
with  spruce  gum  and  fat. 

Right  whales  were  especially  difficult  to  handle, 
and  white  fishermen  feared  them,  but  the  Indians 
bravely  attempted  to  hunt  them  whenever  they 
saw  them  spout.  Puny  were  the  implements  of 
the  sea  whalers,  but  what  they  lacked  in  imple 
ments  they  made  up  in  courage,  ingenuity,  and 
perseverance. 

To  the  Indians  the  settlers  on  the  coast  were 
indebted  for  their  first  instructions  in  the  art  of 
whaling,  as  for  so  many  other  things.  For  years 

85 


86      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Indians  and  white  men  were  often  members  of  the 
same  whaling  crew.  The  Indians  were  glad  to  ac 
cept  in  payment  unmarketable  parts  of  the  whale. 

Among  the  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  whale- 
fishing  was  a  regular  business.  John  R.  Spears  says 
that  "in  March,  1644,  the  settlers  divided  themselves 
into  four  wards  of  eleven  persons,  each  to  attend  to 


THE  CHASE 


the  drift  whales  cast  ashore,  and  it  was  voted  that, 
when  such  a  whale  was  found,  'every  inhabitant, 
with  his  child  or  servant  that  is  above  sixteen  years 
of  age,'  should  share  equally  in  the  products,  save 
only  as  two  men  who  were  appointed  to  cut  up  the 
carcass  were  to  have  two  shares  each." 

Of  course  every  man  was  eager  to  share  in  the 
rewards  of  fishing,  but  there  were  found  those  who 
were  always  ready  to  shirk  their  share  of  the  work. 


WHALE-FISHING  IN   COLONIAL  DAYS     87 

That  everybody  might  take  part,  the  arrangements 
were  well  ordered  from  start  to  finish.  The  boats 
used  were  owned  in  partnership  by  all  in  the  vil 
lage.  These  were  always  ready  for  launching  when 
word  was  given  that  a  whale  had  been  sighted. 
A  lookout  was  on 
duty  every  day 
and  all  day,  that 
no  opportunity 
might  be  lost. 

Since  a  person 
standing  on  the 
low-lying  shore  of 
Long  Island  was 
unable  to  see  far, 
it  was  the  custom 
to  plant  near  the 
water  tall  masts, 
similar  to  tele 
graph  poles,  which 
the  lookout  could 

climb  by  means  of  cleats.  Perched  on  a  rough  seat 
at  the  top  the  climber  could  look  far  to  sea.  When 
complaint  was  made  that  the  position  was  too  ex 
posed  in  severe  winter  weather,  huts  were  built  on 
the  beach,  inclosed  on  three  sides,  but  with  the 
seaward  side  open. 


88      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

Of  course  the  work  of  the  lookout  was  not  pleas 
ant,  and  there  was  much  difficulty  in  persuading 
men  to  take  their  turn.  Especially  when  the  weather 
was  bad,  volunteers  were  slow  to  present  themselves. 
In  one  village  the  difficulty  was  solved  when,  at 
a  town  meeting  held  November  6,  1651,  "it  was 
ordered  that  Goodman  Mulford  shall  call  out  ye 
town  by  succession  to  loke  for  Whale."  The  sum 
mons  was  as  imperative  as  the  call  of  a  witness 
in  court. 

Whenever  the  appointed  watcher  announced  a 
whale  in  the  offing,  there  was  great  excitement. 
Boats  were  manned,  the  strongest  men  embarking, 
while  Indian  helpers  were  called  for.  These  Indians 
were  such  good  workers  that  they  were  paid  fifty 
per  cent  more  than  their  white  neighbors,  and  were 
thus  kept  in  good  humor.  But  they  earned  every 
cent  they  received. 

At  first  those  who  sought  the  whale  kept  near 
the  shore,  but  in  1712  the  first  deep-sea  voyage  was 
made  by  a  captain  who  thought  that,  if  he  could 
accomplish  so  much  by  going  a  little  way  to  sea, 
surely  the  results  would  be  much  greater  if  he  went 
farther  out.  When  his  logic  proved  correct,  other 
captains  followed  him,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  white  wings  of  the  American  whaling  fleet  were 
seen  on  nearly  every  sea. 


WHALE-FISHING  IN   COLONIAL  DAYS     89 

Discoveries  of  importance  were  made  when  voy 
ages  extended  into  the  Arctic  Ocean,  over  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  south  to  the  coast  of  Patagonia. 
No  wonder  Edmund  Burke,  in  the  course  of  a 
speech  in  Parliament,  said : 

No  sea  but  is  vexed  by  their  fisheries,  no  climate  that  is 
not  a  witness  to  their  toils.  Neither  the  perseverance  of 
Holland,  nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterous  and 
firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise,  ever  carried  this  most 
perilous  mode  of  hardy  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it 
has  been  pushed  by  this  recent  people  ;  a  people  who  are 
still,  as  it  were,  but  in  the  gristle,  and  not  yet  hardened  into 
the  bone  of  manhood. 

The  extent  of  the  whaling  industry,  even  before 
the  days  of  the  Revolution,  may  be  seen  by  a  study 
of  a  Massachusetts  report,  which  told  of  the  voyages 
of  the  years  1771  to  1775.  More  than  three  hundred 
vessels  were  fitted  out  each  year  in  the  ports  of  that 
state  alone,  and  more  than  four  thousand  men  were 
employed  as  sailors.  Nearly  fifty  thousand  barrels  of 
oil  were  taken  each  year  during  this  period,  the  best 
of  this  bringing  $18.75  a  barrel.  Whalebone  sold 
for  fifteen  cents  a  pound.  The  fifty  or  sixty  whalers 
owned  in  other  states  considerably  increased  the 
total  of  oil  and  bone,  though,  somehow,  the  Massa 
chusetts  captains  were  usually  more  successful  than 
those  who  hailed  from  ports  in  neighboring  states. 


90      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

At  this  period  more  whaling  vessels  cleared  from 
Nantucket  than  from  any  other  port.  A  picture  of 
the  part  played  by  the  people  of  Nantucket  Island 
in  the  whaling  industry  is  taken  from  the  report  of 
a  committee  of  Parliament  in  1775  : 

This  extraordinary  people,  amounting  to  between  five  and 
six  thousand  in  number,  nine  tenths  of  whom  are  Quakers, 


ABANDONED  WHALING  SHIPS  IN  THE  ICE 

inhabit  a  barren  island  fifteen  miles  long  by  three  broad, 
the  products  of  which  are  scarcely  capable  of  maintaining 
twenty  families.  From  the  only  harbor  which  this  sterile 
island  contains,  without  natural  products  of  any  kind,  the 
inhabitants,  by  an  astonishing  industry,  keep  140  vessels  in 
constant  employment.  Of  these  eight  are  employed  in  the 
importation  of  provisions  for  the  island,  and  the  rest  in  the 
whale  fishery  ;  which,  with  an  invincible  perseverance  and 
courage,  they  have  extended  from  the  frozen  regions  of  the 


WHALE-FISHING  IN   COLONIAL  DAYS     91 

pole  to  the  coasts  of  Africa,  to  the  Brazils,  and  even  to 
the  Falkland  Islands ;  some  of  those  fishing  voyages  con 
tinuing  for  twelve  months. 

One  of  the  unfortunate  results  of  the  war  which 
followed  so  soon  after  these  words  were  written 
was  the  practical  annihilation  of  the  Nantucket  in 
dustry.  One  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  the  vessels 
owned  on  the  island  were  captured  by  the  British. 


THE  WHALING  FLEET 


Many  of  the  captains  and  men  were  forced  to  serve 
in  Great  Britain's  wrhaling  ships ;  for  that  country, 
attracted  by  the  success  of  Nantucket  men,  and  de 
termined  to  build  up  a  successful  fishery,  decided 
that  none  but  Nantucket  sailors  should  be  employed. 
Of  course  the  New  Englanders  were  unwilling  to 
serve  the  enemy  even  in  a  commercial  way,  but 
when  the  choice  was  presented  of  accepting  this 
service  or  enlisting  on  war  vessels  to  fight  against 


92       REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

their  countrymen,  many  of  them  surrendered.  At 
one  time  sixteen  Nantucket  men  were  commanders 
of  British  whalers. 

But  at  the  close  of  the  war  it  was  Nantucket  that 
had  the  honor  of  sending  the  first  ship  flying  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  to  an  English  port.  The  interest 
created  by  her  appearance  may  be  seen  from  this 
report  in  a  London  paper: 

The  ship  Bedford,  Captain  Mooers,  belonging  to  Mas 
sachusetts,  arrived  in  the  Downs  on  the  3d  of  February,  & 
was  reported  at  the  Custom-House  the  6th  instant.  She 
was  not  allowed  regular  entry  until  some  consultation  had 
taken  place  between  the  commissioners  and  the  customs  & 
the  lords  of  council,  on  account  of  the  many  acts  of  Parlia 
ment  yet  in  force  against  the  rebels  in  America.  She  is 
loaded  with  487  butts  of  whale  oil ;  is  American  built ; 
manned  wholly  by  American  seamen  ;  wears  the  rebel  colors 
&  belongs  to  the  Island  of  Nantucket  in  Massachusetts. 

With  the  increase  in  tonnage  of  whaling  vessels 
Nantucket's  supremacy  became  a  thing  of  the  past. 
The  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  would  not  allow 
the  passage  of  large  vessels  when  fully  laden.  Grad 
ually  New  Bedford  forged  ahead.  In  1857  she  sent 
out  ninety-five  vessels,  while  Nantucket  sent  but  four. 

Source.  JOHN  R.  SPEARS.  The  Story  of  the  New  England  Whalers. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York.  The  illustrations  printed  in  con 
nection  with  this  chapter  are  reproduced  from  Mr.  Spears'  volume,  by 
the  courtesy  of  the  publishers,. 


AAvWA^^ 


While  adventurers  roamed  the  sea  in  quest  of  whales,  other 
hardy  men  tramped  through  the  forests  and  over  the  plains,  hunt 
ing  and  trapping,  or  trading  for  furs  with  the  Indians.  Zenas 
Leonard,  one  of  these  pioneer  traders,  returned  with  glowing  tales 
of  the  West  and  its  possibilities. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ADVENTURES  OF  AN  EARLY  FUR  TRADER 

In  the  early  days  of  the  nineteenth  century  the 
great  forests  were  full  of  animals  whose  fur  was 
valuable.  Many  men  made  their  living  by  trap 
ping.  They  would  take  long  journeys  into  the 
wilderness,  and  when  they  returned  they  would 
usually  have  rich  store  of  furs,  as  well  as  wonderful 
stories  of  their  adventures. 

Zenas  Leonard  was  one  of  these  trappers.  In 
1831  he  started  on  a  five  years'  hunting  and 
trapping  journey  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  All 
this  time  he  kept  a  diary,  which  later  was  printed 
and  distributed  among  his  friends. 

When  he  left  St.  Louis  he  was  clerk  of  a  com 
pany  of  seventy  men.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
first  winter  the  company  pitched  camp  in  a  grove 
of  cottonwoods,  hoping  to  be  able  to  keep  their 
horses  alive  on  the  bark.  When  snow  covered 

93 


94      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

the  ground  and  it  was  impossible  to  find  other 
food,  the  bark  was  stripped  from  the  trees,  but 
the  horses  refused  to  touch  it.  Then  the  trappers 
discovered,  too  late,  that  the  camp  had  been  made 
among  bitter  cottonwoods  instead  of  the  sweet 
cottonwoods.  The  horses  perished  of  starvation. 


INTERRUPTED 


Later  a  few  men  in  the  party  made  an  overland 
trip  to  "  Santafee,"  as  they  called  it.  They  were 
delayed  by  snowstorms  until  their  food  supply  was 
exhausted.  They  were  almost  blind  from  the  wind 
and  the  snow.  The  deerskin  lining  of  their 
trousers  was  used  to  make  snowshoes,  parts  of 
the  beaver  skins  that  they  had  been  carrying  to 


ADVENTURES   OF  A  FUR  TRADER         95 

market  were  used  for  food,  and  they  pushed 
bravely  on.  They  grew  weaker  and  weaker.  Two 
animals  were  seen  at  last,  but  the  men  were  too 
blind  to  tell  what  they  were.  The  guns  had  been 
used  as  canes  to  support  the  travelers  in  the  soft 
snow,  and  were  not  in  order  for  effective  work  for 
some  time.  Finally,  a  shot  was  fired,  but  the  aim 
was  poor.  The  animals  did  not  take  fright,  but 
remained  long  enough  for  a  second  shot  to  be 
fired.  This  brought  down  a  buffalo.  Nine  days  had 
passed  since  anything  but  dried  beaver  skins  had 
been  eaten.  In  the  strength  due  to  this  food  the 
adventurers  continued  their  journey  and  at  last 
they  reached  Santa  Fe. 

This  was  only  a  beginning  of  dangers.  At  one 
time  the  men  were  surrounded  by  two  hundred 
Indians,  and  death  seemed  sure.  Again  Leonard 
had  an  encounter  with  an  Indian  whom  he  met 
in  the  forest.  Before  he  escaped  from  the  savage, 
he  received  a  wound  that  troubled  him  for  many 
weeks. 

Soon  after  this  trying  experience  he  wrote  in 
his  journal : 

Some  of  us  had  labored  hard  ;  we  had  at  times  endured 
the  worst  suffering  from  hunger  and  fatigue,  living  amid  the 
terrors  of  a  wilderness  filled  with  savages  and  no  less  dan 
gerous  beasts  of  prey  for  two  long  years,  and  now  left  with 


96       REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

nothing  but  an  old  greasy  blanket,  a  rifle,  and  a  few  loads  of 
ammunition,  some  thousands  of  miles  from  our  homes.  We 
had  expected  that  to  win  a  fortune  in  the  fur  trade  we  only 
required  a  little  perseverance  and  industry.  Such  had  been 
the  life  we  had  led,  and  such  the  reward. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  the  party  succeeded 
in  reaching  San  Francisco  Bay.  c  The  idea  of 
being  at  the  end  of  the  Far  West,"  Leonard  wrote, 
"inspired  the  heart  of  every  member  of  our  com 
pany  with  a  patriotic  feeling  for  our  country's 
honor.  We  felt  as  if  all  our  previous  hardships 
and  privations  would  be  adequately  compensated 
if  we  would  be  spared  to  return  in  safety  to  the 
homes  of  our  kindred  and  have  it  to  say  that  we  had 
stood  upon  the  extreme  end  of  the  great  West." 

Leonard  was  happy  as  he  looked  out  on  the 
Pacific.  As  he  stood  on  the  shore  he  wrote 
a  prophecy: 

Most  of  this  vast  waste  of  territory  belongs  to  the  repub 
lic  of  the  United  States.  Will  the  government  ever  succeed 
in  civilizing  the  thousands  of  savages  now  roaming  over 
these  plains,  and  her  hardy,  free-born  population  here  plant 
their  homes,  build  their  towns  and  cities,  and  say,  "Here 
shall  the  arts  and  sciences  of  civilization  take  root  and 
flourish  "  ?  Yes,  here,  even  in  this  remote  part  of  the  great 
West,  before  many  years,  will  these  hills  and  valleys  be 
greeted  with  the  enlivening  sound  of  the  workman's  ham 
mer,  and  the  merry  whistle  of  the  plowboy.  We  have 


ADVENTURES  OF  A  FUR  TRADER         97 

good  reason  to  suppose  that  the  territory  west  of  the  moun 
tains  will  some  day  be  equally  as  important  to  the  nation 
as  that  on  the  east. 

Soon  the  return  trip  was  begun.  The  Pennsyl 
vania  home  was  reached  in  1839.  The  net  profits 
to  Leonard  of  the  five  years  of  privation  were 
eleven  hundred  dollars. 

Source.  W.  F.  EAGNER  (Editor).  Adventures  of  Zenas  Leonard, 
Fur  Trader  and  Trapper  (reprinted  from  the  original).  The  Burrows 
Brothers  Company,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


»^>KU>IVLKMJUUIVU^ 

Travelers  like  Zenas  Leonard  gave  the  first  clear  idea  about  the 
West.  For  generations  the  region  beyond  the  Mississippi  was  pic 
tured  in  all  sorts  of  fantastic  ways.  Think  of  a  great  lake  across  the 
Rocky  Mountains  !  Think  of  California  as  an  island  !  This  was  the 
belief  of  many,  until  explprers  found  their  way  to  distant  regions. 


CHAPTER    XV 

WHEN  THE  WEST  WAS   NEW 

A  glance  at  a  map  of  about  the  year  1700 
gives  an  idea  of  the  erroneous  notions  then  enter 
tained  concerning  the  American  continent.  The 
map  is  called  "  A  new  map  of  North  America, 
according  to  the  newest  observations,  by  H.  Moll, 
geographer." 

On  this  map  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
are  rather  carefully  outlined,  as  are  also  the  islands 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  This  is  not  strange,  when 
it  is  remembered  that  many  of  the  earliest  ex 
plorers  made  repeated  voyages  to  these  regions. 
The  peninsula  of  Florida,  however,  is  given  a 
peculiar  shape,  while  the  name  "  Florida "  is 
made  to  include  all  the  territory  from  Virginia 
to  Texas,  and  north  to  the  Illinois  River.  The 
Great  Lakes  are  rather  vague  in  outline,  though 

Lake  Erie  is  given  in  good  proportion,  as  is  also 

98 


WHEN  THE  WEST  WAS  NEW  99 

Lake  Michigan.  Lake  Erie,  however,  is  made  to 
extend  southward  nearly  as  far  as  Virginia.  Lake 
Huron  is  set  down  as  being  three  or  four  times 
as  large  as  Lake  Michigan,  while  Lake  Superior, 
called  "  Upper  Lake,"  is  about  twice  as  large  as 
Lake  Huron.  The  distance  from  Lake  Superior  to 
the  nearest  point  on  Hudson's  Bay  is  only  about 
two  hundred  miles.  The  St.  Lawrence  River, 
which  is  made  to  take  its  rise  near  the  arctic 
circle,  flows  southeast,  widening  to  form  the  Great 
Lakes,  then  continues  its  way  to  the  northeast, 
as  does  the  real  St.  Lawrence. 

Of  course  the  country  west  of  the  "  Missisuri " 
River,  as  it  was  called,  was  a  vast  unknowrn  region, 
but  the  maker  of  the  map  was  unwilling  to  own 
his  ignorance.  So  he  put  down  a  few  rivers,  made 
no  mention  of  mountains,  and  contented  himself 
with  writing  the  words  "  Many  Villages,"  where 
Missouri  is  now.  But  the  crowning  feature  of  the 
great  Western  plain  was  the  River  "  Longue,"  in 
reality  a  lake,  which  stretched  for  five  hundred 
miles  straight  across  the  Rocky  Mountain  country. 
Islands  were  set  down  at  random  in  this  "  river," 
and  the  inscription  was  added,  "  Many  Villages 
on  the  Islands." 

The  Gulf  of  California  is  represented  as  a  strait, 
stretching  from  Mexico  on  the  south  to  what  is 


ioo      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

called  the  "  Mozeemlek  Country "  on  the  north, 
where  Oregon  is  now  placed.  California  is  thus 
an  island,  its  shape  being  much  like  that  of  the 
state  as  it  is  to-day.  The  upper  part  of  the  island 
is  called  "  New  Albion."  To  the  north  of  the 
Mozeemlek  Country  is  a  vast  region  on  which  is 
written  the  honest  confession,  "  Unknown  Country." 

The  wonder  is,  not  that  so  little  was  known 
of  the  continent  west  of  the  Mississippi,  but  that 
so  much  was  known  that  was  even  approximately 
correct.  The  knowledge  had  been  gained  from 
various  travelers,  few  of  whom  knew  anything 
of  surveying  or  of  scientific  map-making.  Some 
of  them  had  gone  out  on  fur-trading  expeditions, 
though  some  were  traveling  for  the  avowed  purpose 
of  learning  about  the  country. 

It  was  not  until  the  famous  expedition  of  Lewis 
and  Clark,  sent  by  President  Jefferson  to  explore 
the  Western  country,  that  definite  ideas  began  to 
displace  the  hazy  notions  of  earlier  map-makers. 

In  1803  Lewis  and  Clark,  hardy  young  men, 
started  west.  In  their  party  were  about  thirty 
others,  many  of  whom  had  lived  among  the  Indians. 
Their  equipment  was  peculiar.  They  carried  three 
boats  —  a  keel  boat  fifty-five  feet  long,  which  could 
travel  in  three  feet  of  water  when  loaded  with 
twenty-two  oarsmen,  and  two  small  flat-bottomed 


WHEN   THE  WEST  WAS  >TEW 


i.o  T 


boats.  The  sails  of  these  boats  could  be  used  as 
tents  at  night.  As  the  explorers  rowed  up  the 
Missouri,  two  horses  were  led  along  the  bank  to  be 
at  hand  when  they  should  be  needed  for  hunting. 


©  Brown  Brother?; 
LEWIS  AND  CLARK  ON  THE  UPPER  MISSOURI 

The  boats  were  loaded  with  a  strange  assort 
ment  of  goods.  In  addition  to  the  clothing,  tools, 
firearms,  and  food,  there  were  coats  richly  laced 
with  gilt  braid,  red  trousers,  medals,  flags,  knives, 
colored  handkerchiefs,  paints,  small  looking-glasses, 


.102      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

beads,  and  other  trinkets  to  win  the  favor  of  the 
red  men.  President  Jefferson  urged  the  explorers 
to  treat  the  Indians  as  friends  and  to  assure  them 
that  the  United  States  would  protect  them. 

The  journey  was  comparatively  easy  down  the 
Ohio,  up  the  Mississippi,  and  to  the  sources  of 
the  Missouri.  But  when,  in  the  summer  of  1805, 
the  Rocky  Mountains  were  crossed,  and  the  trav 
elers  tried  to  find  their  way  over  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains,  their  real  troubles  began.  '  They  must 
make  their  way  over  the  sharp  ridges,  through 
terrific  mountain  defiles  choked  with  fallen  limbs 
and  masses  of  rock  debris,"  Schafer  says,  in  de 
scribing  the  difficulties  of  the  way.  "  For  nearly 
a  month  they  threaded  dark  forests,  over  steep 
hills,  rocks  and  fallen  trees ;  made  their  way  along 
dangerous  cliffs ;  crossed  raging  torrents,  whose 
icy  waters  chilled  both  men  and  animals.  Some 
times  they  encountered  storms  of  sleet  and  snow, 
again  the  weather  was  very  hot  and  oppressive. 
Most  of  them  became  sick,  and  all  were  much 
reduced  in  strength.  Food  was  so  scanty  that  they 
were  compelled  to  kill  and  eat  some  of  the  travel- 
worn  horses"  which  they  had  secured  from  friendly 
Shoshone  Indians. 

After  spending  a  hard  winter  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  Lewis  and  Clark  turned  back  by 


WHEN  THE  WEST  WAS  NEW  103 

the  way  they  had  come.  But  first  they  told  the 
Indians  why  they  had  sought  out  this  land.  Then 
they  gave  some  of  the  natives  copies  of  a  note 
which  the  recipients  were  asked  to  hand  to  any 
white  men  who  might  visit  them.  A  rough  map 
of  the  journey  was  included  on  the  sheet  with  the 
note.  One  of  these  papers  reached  Philadelphia 
in  1807,  by  way  of  Canton,  China.  It  had  been 
given  by  a  faithful  Indian  to  the  captain  of  a 
trading  vessel. 

Other  explorers  followed  in  the  steps  of  these 
hardy  pioneers,  but  it  was  a  generation  before 
the  tide  of  immigration  set  in  to  what  was  once 
known  as  the  Mozeemlek  Country. 

Source.  SCHAFER.  History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  The  Mac- 
millan  Company,  New  York. 


mj^uj^ujw^xiuuuMw^ 


There  were  those  who  did  not  think  that  the  Western  country 
was  worth  anything,  but,  fortunately,  there  were  those  who 
thought  otherwise.  So  the  territory  of  Louisiana  was  bought  from 
France  in  1803.  At  once  the  government  began  to  investigate  the 
possibilities  of  the  new  land,  and  made  some  wonderful  discoveries. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

WHEN  LOUISIANA  WAS   BOUGHT  FROM  FRANCE 

It  is  not  easy  to  picture  the  popular  ignorance 
concerning  the  South  and  West  of  a  century  ago. 
Perhaps  there  is  no  better  indication  of  this  than 
the  description  of  the  Louisiana  country,  written 
in  1803  for  the  state  department  at  Washington, 
to  give  information  of  the  vast  territory  bought 
from  France. 

In  the  absence  of  a  map  of  this  region,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  describe  the  boundaries, 
and  to  mention  the  chief  divisions.  Among  these 
were  mentioned  Mobile,  New  Orleans,  Ste.  Gene- 
vieve,  New  Bourbon,  Catahanose,  Fourche,  and 
Galvez-Town. 

It  was  stated  that  many  of  these  divisions  were 
"separated  from  each  other  by  immense  and  track 
less  deserts,  having  no  communication  with  each 
other  by  land,  except  now  and  then  a  solitary 


104 


WHEN  LOUISIANA  WAS  BOUGHT        105 

instance  of  its  being  attempted  by  hunters,  who 
have  to  swim  rivers,  expose  themselves  to  the  in 
clemency  of  the  weather,  and  carry  their  provisions 
on  their  backs  for  a  time." 

The  principal  settlements  in  Louisiana  were  on 
the  Mississippi,  "  which  begins  to  be  cultivated 
about  twenty  leagues  from  the  sea,  where  the 


NEW  ORLEANS  IN  1803 
From  a  painting  in  the  Louisiana  State  Museum 

plantations  are  yet  thin,  and  owned  by  the  poorest 
people."  Farther  north  were  better  plantations  for  a 
few  miles.  Along  the  river  there  was  no  space  be 
tween  cultivated  fields,  although  the  fringe  of  tilled 
land  extended  but  a  little  distance  from  the  shore. 
Special  mention  was  made  of  Baton  Rouge, 
which  was  considered  remarkable  as  being  "  the 
first  place  where  the  high  land  is  contiguous  to 
the  river."  Attention  was  called  to  two  creeks 


io6      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

which  entered  the  river  near  this  point,  whose 
banks  "  have  the  best  soil  and  the  greatest  number 
of  good  cotton  plantations  of  any  part  of  Louisiana, 
and  are  allowed  to  be  the  garden  of  it." 

Along  the  river,  from  the  sea  to  Pointe  Coupee, 
fifty  leagues  from  New  Orleans,  "  three-fourths  of 
the  population  and  seven-eighths  of  the  riches  of 
Louisiana "  were  included. 

A  statement  concerning  the  land  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river  is  interesting,  in  view  of  the 
developments  of  more  modern  days : 

From  the  settlement  of  Pointe  Coupee  on  the  Mississippi, 
to  Cape  Girardeau,  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  there  is 
no  land  on  the  west  side  that  is  not  overflowed  in  the  spring 
to  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  leagues  from  the  river,  with 
from  two  to  twelve  feet  of  water,  except  a  small  spot  near 
New  Madrid,  so  that  in  the  whole  extent  there  is  no  possi 
bility  of  forming  a  considerable  settlement  contiguous  to 
the  river  on  that  side.  The  eastern  bank  has  in  this  re 
spect  a  decided  advantage  over  the  western,  as  there  are  in 
it  many  situations  which  effectually  command  the  river. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River  were  a 
few  families  who  were  "  more  attached  to  the  In 
dian  trade  than  to  cultivation."  It  was  added 
that  "  there  is  no  settlement  from  the  place  to 
New  Madrid,  which  is  itself  inconsiderable.  As 
cending  the  river,  you  come  to  Cape  Girardeau, 


WHEN   LOUISIANA  WAS  BOUGHT        107 

Ste.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis,  where,  though  the  in 
habitants  are  numerous,  they  raise  little  for  exporta 
tion,  and  content  themselves  with  trading  with  the 
Indians  and  working  a  few  lead  mines."  A  note  was 
made  of  the  fact  that  "  lead  is  to  be  had  with  ease, 
and  in  such  quantities  as  to  supply  all  Europe,  if 
the  population  were  sufficient  to  work  the  numer 
ous  mines  to  be  found  within  two  or  three  feet 
from  the  surface  in  various  parts  of  the  country." 
After  telling  of  the  wonderful  silver  and  copper 
mines  farther  north,  this  paragraph  was  devoted 
to  a  more  ordinary  product: 

The  salt  works  are  also  pretty  numerous  ;  some  belong 
to  individuals,  others  to  the  public.  They  already  yield 
an  article  of  general  exportation.  The  usual  price  per 
bushel  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  cents  in  cash  at  the  works. 
This  price  will  be  still  lower  as  soon  as  the  manufacture  of 
the  salt  is  assumed  by  government,  or  patronized  by  men 
who  have  large  capital  to  employ  in  the  business.  One  ex 
traordinary  fact  relative  to  salt  must  not  be  omitted.  There 
exists  about  one  thousand  miles  up  the  Missouri,  and  not 
far  from  that  river  a  Salt  Mountain !  The  existence  of 
such  a  mountain  might  well  be  questioned  were  it  not  for 
the  testimony  of  several  respectable  and  enterprising  traders 
who  have  visited  it,  and  who  have  exhibited  several  bushels 
of  the  salt  to  the  curiosity  of  the  people  of  St.  Louis,  where 
some  of  it  still  remains.  The  mountain  is  said  to  be  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  long,  and  forty-five  in  width, 
composed  of  solid  rock  salt,  without  any  trees  or  even 


io8      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

shrubs  on  it.  Salt  springs  are  very  numerous  below  the 
surface  of  the  mountain,  and  they  flow  through  the  fissures 
and  cavities  of  it. 

Returning   to   the  lower  part  of  the   Louisiana 
territory,   the   writer  of  this   early   treatise   on    the 


THE  CABILDO,  THE  SPANISH  COURTHOUSE  IN  NEW  ORLEANS 
Now  used  as  a  museum 

greatest  real-estate  purchase  ever  made  went  on 
to  speak  of  the  possibilities  of  the  cultivation  of 
sugar  cane.  On  one  section  of  the  river  the  lands 
on  both  banks,  for  a  distance  of  ninety  miles,  and 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  deep,  were  consid 
ered  adapted  to  sugar  cultivation.  No  other  part 


WHEN  LOUISIANA  WAS  BOUGHT        109 

of  the  territory  was  thought  to  be  fit  for  the  pur 
pose.  On  this  territory  annually  twenty-five  thou 
sand  hogsheads  of  sugar  could  be  produced,  as 
well  as  twelve  thousand  puncheons  of  rum.  This 
seemed  to  the  writer  to  be  the  limit  of  cane 
production,  although  enterprising  young  planters 
stated  that  one  third  or  even  one  half  of  the 
arable  land  within  certain  limits  could  be  planted 
in  cane.  But  at  the  very  outside  estimate  it 
seemed  that  not  more  than  fifty  thousand  hogs 
heads  of  sugar  could  be  counted  on. 

The  early  historian  would  be  startled  if  he 
could  take  a  glimpse  to-day  of  the  rich  lands 
along  the  valley  of  the  lower  Mississippi,  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  should  note  the  enormous 
product  of  the  plantations,  and  the  wonderful  de 
velopment  of  the  towns  and  cities. 

Source.  An  Account  of  Louisiana,  1803.  Old  South- Leaflets,  Vol.  5. 
An  abstract  of  documents  in  the  office  of  the  Department  of  State  and 
of  the  Treasury. 


mm^UJOO^UAWAO^ 

The  purchase  of  the  Louisiana  Territory  encouraged  immigra 
tion  to  the  West,  and  before  many  years  had  passed,  southern 


Illinois  and  southern  Indiana  were  tolerably  well  settled,  especially 
in  the  river  valleys. 

"  The  woods  around  us  are  inhabited  by  Indians,  bears,  wolves, 
deer,  opossums,  and  raccoons"  was  the  message  one  of  those  early 
settlers  in  the  valley  of  the  Wabash  sent  to  friends  in  England. 
Yet  he  urged  them  to  consider  following  him  to  that  wild  country 
and  helping  in  the  worth-while  struggle  of  the  pioneer. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

AN  ENGLISH  IMMIGRANT'S  JOURNEY  TO 
ILLINOIS  TERRITORY 

In  1817  a  company  of  English  immigrants  landed 
in  Virginia,  on  the  way  to  English  Prairie,  in 
southern  Illinois.  To  one  of  the  party,  Elias  Pym 
Fordham,  was  given  charge  of  the  farming  im 
plements  and  household  furniture,  which  he  ac 
companied  as  far  as  Cincinnati.  His  route  was 
by  water  from  Norfolk  to  Baltimore,  thence  over 
land  to  Pittsburgh  and  down  the  Ohio  River  to 
Cincinnati.  There  he  rejoined  the  other  members 
of  the  party  who  had  traveled  to  Pittsburgh  in  a 
phaeton  and  a  light  wagon,  and  thence  had  gone 
on  horseback  across  southern  Ohio  to  Cincinnati. 

During  his  journey,  and  after  reaching  his  des 
tination,  the  young  man  wrote  letters  to  friends 


AN   ENGLISH   IMMIGRANT'S  JOURNEY     in 

in  England  in  which  he  told  of  his  experiences 
and  his  impressions  of  the  new  country.  That 
these  letters  were  written  under  difficulties  is 
apparent  from  the  preface,  dated  in  1818,  to  the 
published  collection  of  the  letters.  He  says,  M  Some 
times  the  writer  was  surrounded  by  the  noisy 


ON  THE  ROAD  IN  EARLY  DAYS.    THE  CONESTOGA  WAGON 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 

inhabitants  of  a  smoky  cabin,  in  his  blanket  tent, 
or  in  the  bar  room  or  no  less  public  dormitory 
of  a  tavern." 

From  Baltimore  to  Pittsburgh,  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  miles,  the  farming  implements 
and  furniture  were  transported  by  wagons.  "The 
mail  is  six  days  going  this  distance,  the  waggons 
sixteen,"  he  wrote.  "  They  travel  at  12,  15  or  20 


112      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

miles  per  day.  They  avoid,  as  much  as  possible, 
the  trampled  roads,  and  scramble  over  hills  and 
mountains,  where  English  waggons  would  be  dashed 
to  pieces.  The  waggoners  requested  that  we  keep 
with  them  on  the  mountains ;  for  the  combined 
strength  of  several  men  is  necessary  to  keep  the 
waggons  from  upsetting  in  descending  the  cliffs." 

At  Pittsburgh  the  goods  in  his  care  were  loaded 
on  two  flatboats,  curious  structures  for  floating 
downstream  which  aroused  his  curiosity.  He  noted 
with  interest,  "  Not  a  100  nails  are  used  in  building 
one,  but  they  are  stuck  together  by  wooden  pins." 

Progress  on  the  river  was  slow,  for  the  current 
was  only  three  miles  an  hour.  But  many  of  the 
long  hours  were  passed  in  a  skiff,  in  which  he 
rowed  to  the  shore,  where  he  scrambled  over  the 
rocks  and  searched  for  curious  plants  or  squirrels. 
Sometimes  the  skiff  would  strike  a  log  and  he 
would  be  thrown  into  the  water,  but  this  merely 
added  to  the  interest  of  the  journey. 

At  length  Cincinnati  was  reached,  at  the  end 
of  seven  weeks  after  leaving  the  James  River. 
From  Cincinnati  he  traveled  with  his  friends. 

The  journey  across  Indiana  was  made  "on 
horseback,  each  person  furnished  with  an  upper 
and  under  blanket,  and  saddle  bags,  and  two 
pack-horses  with  extra  luggage  and  bedding." 


AN   ENGLISH   IMMIGRANT'S  JOURNEY     113 

At  night  the  party  stopped  in  roadside  taverns, 
or  with  farmers,  most  of  whom  had  a  room  for 
travelers.  The  country  traversed  was  "  one  vast 
forest,  intersected  by  a  few  Blaze  roads,1  and  two 
or  three  open  roads.  There  are  a  few  new  towns 


PIONEERS  ON  A  FLATBOAT 

and  some  settlements  on  and  near  the  state  roads 
and  river.  These  are  generally  from  one  to  three 
years  old." 

1  The  traveler  gave  in  his  diary  this  explanation  of  Blaze  [blazed] 
roads  :  "  Blaze  roads  are  merely  lines,  marked  through  the  forests  by  slices 
of  bark,  like  a  blaze,  being  chopped  off  the  trees.  When  a  road  is  surveyed, 
the  trees  are  cut  down,  and  the  stumps  are  left  to  rot  in  the  ground.  The 
trees  on  each  side  are  notched  at  convenient  distances,  to  distinguish  the 
State  roads  from  private  ones  to  plantations,  and  this  is  then  called  an 
open  road." 


H4      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

At  Princeton,  Indiana,  a  house  was  visited  and 
Mr.  Fordham  remained  there,  with  some  of  his 
companions,  for  six  months,  while  others  went  on 
to  English  Prairie.  The  town  was  then  three 
years  old,  and  contained  three  small  brick  houses, 
four  or  five  frame  dwellings,  and  seven  or  eight 
houses  built  of  logs,  besides  a  dozen  cabins.  The 
author  notes  the  fact  that  "  the  trees  have  not  yet 
had  time  to  rot  away  in  the  streets,  which  were 
therefore  dangerous  to  walk  in  after  dark." 

Not  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  region  were  de 
sirable.  Mr.  Fordham  said,  "  We  hear  the  howling 
of  the  wolves  every  evening,  as  they  are  driven 
back  from  the  farmyards  by  the  dogs,  who  flock 
together  to  repel  the  invaders." 

From  Princeton  the  traveler  made  many  journeys 
of  exploration  through  the  surrounding  country. 
When  he  mounted  for  these  trips  he  wore  "a 
broad-brimmed  straw  hat,  long  trousers  and  moc 
casins,  shot  pouch  and  powder  horn  slung  from 
a  belt,  rifle  at  his  back  in  a  sling,  tomahawk  in 
a  holster  at  his  saddlebow,  a  pair  of  saddlebags 
stuffed  with  shorts  and  gingerbread,  and  a  Boat- 
cloak  and  Scotch  tent  buckled  behind  the  saddle." 

Finally  he  went  to  English  Prairie.  From  this 
place  he  sent  a  letter  saying  that  the  town  had  "  no 
population  to  withstand  an  incursion  of  Indians, 


AN   ENGLISH   IMMIGRANT'S  JOURNEY     115 

if  a  war  had  been  excited  by  the  violent  and  cruel 
hunters,"  and  that  therefore  the  houses  "  were 
planned  to  be  easily  converted  into  forts." 

Before  long  so  many  settlers  were  coming  to 
the  country  that  the  author  of  the  letters  thought 
he  saw  a  chance  to  make  money.  He  wrote : 

I  am  laying  off  a  new  town  to  be  called  Albion.  It  will 
consist  of  8  streets  and  a  public  square.  Most  likely  it  will 
be  the  County  Town,  and  if  so,  there  will  be  a  Court  house 
and  a  gaol,  as  well  as  a  Market  house  and  a  Chapel,  which 
last  will  be  built  whether  it  be  the  seat  of  justice  or  not. 

The  desire  of  the  town  builder  was  gratified  ; 
since  1821  Albion  has  been  the  county  seat  of 
Edwards  County. 

Source.  F.  A.  OGG.  Fordham's  Personal  Narrative,  1817,  1818. 
The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Company,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


-4-VJXA 


^ 


The  Illinois  prairies  did  not  attract  the  immigrants  so  soon  as 
the  regions  farther  south,  but  when  the  tide  began  to  turn  north 
ward,  development  was  rapid. 

The  diary  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago 
gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the  experiences  of  the  pioneers. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

GLIMPSES  OF  WESTERN  PIONEER  LIFE 

In  1836  A.  H.  Conant,  a  New  Englander,  turned 
his  face  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  After  an  over 
land  trip  from  Vermont  to  Buffalo,  he  went  by 
the  Lakes  to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  the  Fox 
River  country,  the  Dupage  and  Bureau  rivers,  and 
finally  to  the  banks  of  the  Des  Plaines,  about 
twenty  miles  northwest  of  Chicago.  There  a  farm 
was  located.  On  this  farm  and  in  the  neighbor- 

o 

hood    occurred    such    events    as    the    following    re 
corded  in  the  diary  of  the  traveler : 

1836 

Jan.    I  --  Attended  to  the  survey  of  my  claim. 

2  --  Drew  rails. 

3  —  Sunday.    Wrote  poetry. 

4  --  Made  shelves  and  split  rails. 

5  -  -  Went  to  Chicago  with  a  load  of  potatoes. 

6  —  Sold  my  potatoes  for  75  cents  a  bushel. 

116 


WESTERN   PIONEER  LIFE  117 

7  --  Cut  apples,  worked  at  my  house,  husked  corn. 

8  —  Attended  a  meeting  of   settlers   for   securing  to 

each  man  his  present  claim. 

9  —  Cut  rail  timber. 

10  —  Sunday.    Went  to  Chicago. 

Other  entries  show  that  time  was  taken  for 
self-development,  and  for  duties  to  others: 

Attended  a  meeting  called  to  get  the  mail  route  changed 
from  Chicago  to  Green  Bay.  .  .  .  Attended  arbitration  be 
tween  father  and  Rufus  Saule  ;  decided  in  favor  of  Rufus, 
and  let  him  have  some  potatoes.  .  .  .  Read  Mason  on  "  Self- 
Knowledge."  .  .  .  Read  the  "Latin  Grammar."  .  .  .  Brought 
in  a  deer.  .  .  .  Read  the  "  Life  of  Josephine."  .  .  .  Got  out 
wood  for  chairs.  .  .  .  Made  a  coffin  for  Mrs.  Dougherty, 
and  helped  to  bury  her.  .  .  .  Made  and  bottomed  chairs.  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Hoard  and  Betsy  Kilsey  arrived.  .  .  .  Planted  corn, 
and  prepared  for  the  wedding.  .  .  .  Married  Betsy  Kilsey. 

Just  that  bit  to  tell  of  the  arrival  from  the  East 
of  his  promised  wife,  the  preparations  for  the  wed 
ding,  crowded  into  a  day  with  farm  work,  and  the 
wedding  itself ! 

The  next  entry  tells  just  as  briefly  of  attempts 
to  fit  up  the  pioneer  home :  "  Made  a  table,  and 
borrowed  six  bushels  of  potatoes,  to  be  paid  back 
with  interest  in  the  fall." 

Other  entries  were: 

Wife  is  .18  to-day.  Made  a  few  articles  of  furniture.  .  .  . 
Read  "  Paley's  Natural  Theology."  .  .  .  Made  a  churn.  .  .  . 


nS      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Heard  big  wolves  howling.  .  .  .  Hunted  deer.  .  .  .  Worked 
at  shoemaking.  .  .  .  Made  a  coffin  for  H.  Dougherty.  .  .  . 
Plastered  my  house.  .  .  .  Dressed  pig  and  calves  torn  by 
wolves.  .  .  .  Dug  a  well.  Killed  a  badger.  .  .  .  Corn  half 
destroyed  by  blackbirds.  .  .  .  Set  out  shade  trees.  .  .  . 
Read  Cowper.  Took  up  a  bee  tree  to  hive  for  honey.  .  .  . 
Hunted  deer. 

At  length  the  farmer  made  up  his  mind  to  com 
plete  his  education.  So  he  studied  hard ;  but  he 
was  so  busy  on  the  farm  that  the  most  favorable 
days  for  study  were  those  when  he  was  not  well 
enough  to  work.  During  that  time  the  following 
entries  were  made: 

Made  a  ditching  machine.  .  .  .  Studied  algebra.  .  .  . 
Made  a  chest  of  drawers.  .  .  .  Hunted  a  panther.  .  .  .  Went 
to  a  bridge  raising.  .  .  .  Hewed  timber  for  a  barn.  .  .  . 
Made  a  wagon.  .  .  .  Made  a  cheese  press.  .  .  .  Unwell,  and 
so  studied  algebra.  .  .  .  Made  a  sun  dial.  .  .  .  Sister  Har 
riet  dead.  .  .  .  Made  a  coffin  for  Sister  Harriet.  .  .  .  Went 
to  the  mill.  .  .  .  Read  the  "  History  of  Rome."  .  .  .  Hunted 
deer.  .  .  .  Unwell,  so  wrote  temperance  address.  .  .  .  Hunted 
panther.  .  .  .  Sat  on  jury.  .  .  .  Helped  to  make  post  office.  .  .  . 
Examined  the  school  teacher.  .  .  .  Wrote  a  sermon.  .  .  . 
Made  soap.  .  .  .  Boiled  sugar.  .  .  .  Started  for  New  Eng 
land,  to  attend  school. 

In  1841  the  young  pioneer  went  back  to  the 
prairies,  where  he  toiled  on  the  farm  and  among 
the  people  who  needed  his  services,  preaching  here 


WESTERN   PIONEER  LIFE 


119 


and  there,  and  finally  becoming  pastor  in  Geneva 
and  Rockford.  In  one  of  his  fields  he  was  promised 
"$125  a  year  for  one  sermon  each  Sunday."  His 
biographer  chose  extracts  from  his  diaries  which 
showed  the  manner  of  his  life  in  Geneva,  "while 


A  PIONEER  GRISTMILL 

he  held,  as  it  were,  the  pioneer's  axe  in  one  hand 
and  the  Bible  in  the  other,  doing  a  man's  work 
with  both."  Here  are  a  few  of  these  extracts: 

Wrote  a  sermon,  and  made  a  door.  .  .  .  Raised  the  house 
frame.  .  .  .  Cut  and  drew  ice,  and  made  curtain  rods.  .  .  . 
Made  a  plan  of  a  sermon  on  the  Prodigal  Son,  a  pair  of 


120      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

quilting  frames,  and  an  argument  at  the  lyceum  against  cap 
ital  punishment.  .  .  .  Read  Neander.  .  .  .  Made  a  chair.  .  .  . 
Worked  on  a  sermon.  .  .  .  Drew  straw.  Commenced  a 
sermon,  and  worked  in  the  woods. . . .  Doctored  sick  horse. . . . 
Cut  wood.  .  .  .  Read  Neander.  Horse  died.  .  .  .  Began  a 
sermon.  Planted  potatoes.  ...  Built  an  icehouse.  ...  Helped 
wife  to  wash.  .  .  .  Made  benches  for  the  school.  .  .  .  Fin 
ished  sermon,  and  haying.  .  .  .  Set  out  plum  trees.  .  .  . 
Planned  a  sermon.  Made  a  gravel  walk.  .  .  .  Wrote  a  ser 
mon.  Papered  my  study.  .  .  .  Wrote  at  a  sermon.  .  .  . 
Planted  seventy  peach  trees.  .  .  .  Wrote  at  a  sermon.  .  .  . 
Made  a  bedstead  for  the  cobbler.  .  .  .  Went  to  Elgin  with 
father,  to  build  a  cupola  for  the  church.  .  .  .  Worked  at 
cupola.  .  .  .  Raised  cupola.  .  .  .  Hung  the  bell.  .  .  . 
Preached  in  the  church.  .  .  .  Read  Macaulay.  Made  candles. 

One  entry  calls  for  an  explanation.  The  bed  for 
the  cobbler  was  not  made  for  money.  The  cob 
bler  was  a  poor  cripple.  He  could  make  a  meager 
living  if  he  had  a  little  house  in  which  he  could 
live  and  work.  So  the  pioneer  built  a  place  for 
him  entirely  with  his  own  hands,  and  furnished  it 
in  the  same  way.  He  secured  for  the  old  cripple  all 
the  wood  he  wanted,  too,  for  the  winter,  sawed,  split, 
and  piled  it  for  him,  and  drove  the  wolf  once  for 
all  from  the  door,  the  result  being  the  happiest 
cobbler  in  Kane  County. 

Source.  ROBERT  COLLYER.  Augustus  Conant.  The  Beacon  Press, 
Boston. 


lMJPO^UaU!^ 


Settlement  of  one  portion  of  the  Louisiana  country  was  slow  — 
and  all  because  of  a  raft,  more  than  one  hundred  miles  long, 
which  covered  the  waters  of  a  river  from  the  mouth  far  toward  its 
source.  Until  that  raft  was  destroyed,  settlement  was  impossible. 

The  story  of  the  conquest  of  the  raft  is  worth  reading. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  RED  RIVER  RAFT 

Stories  of  floating  islands  have  been  told  from 
the  days  of  Pliny  the  Younger,  who  wrote  of  a  num 
ber  of  these  in  the  Lacus  Vademonis,  near  Rome. 
They  were  covered  with  reeds  and  rushes,  and 
the  sheep  grazing  upon  the  borders  of  the  lake 
passed  upon  them  to  feed,  and  were  often  floated 
away  from  the  shore.  Driftwood  accumulating 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  formed  the  founda 
tion  of  these  islands  ;  deposits  of  earth  and  sand 
on  the  logs  made  a  soil ;  seeds  were  dropped  by 
birds  and  carried  by  the  winds,  and  after  scores 
of  years  the  "  islands  "  were  complete.  Authorities 
declare  that  such  islands,  formed  in  the  large 
rivers  and  carried  out  to  sea,  "have  been  the 
means  of  distributing  species  of  the  larger  animals 
among  the  islands  of  the  South  Pacific,  and  of 
introducing  vegetable  life  to  new  localities." 


122      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  largest  and 
most  remarkable  formation  of  this  kind  was  in 
our  own  land,  in  the  Red  River,  a  tributary  of  the 
Mississippi.  This  river,  more  than  seventeen  hun 
dred  miles  long,  was  practically  closed  to  naviga 
tion  by  a  timber  raft  of  enormous  extent.  Early 
explorers  were  unable  to  ascend  the  stream,  and 
later  navigators  found  it  necessary  to  make  use 
of  a  series  of  bayous  and  creeks  to  reach  the 
headwaters. 

The  raft  has  been  described  as  "an  accumula 
tion  of  trees,  logs,  and  drift,  extending  over  the 
surface  of  the  river  from  bank  to  bank,  and  for 
miles  in  extent,  so  close  and  compact  as  to  be 
walked  over  without  wetting  the  feet.  Broom 
straw,  willow,  and  other  small  bushes  are  growing 
out  of  the  rich,  alluvial  earth  that  covers  the  logs, 
so  that  it  presents  the  appearance  of  an  old  worn- 
out  field  that  has  been  abandoned  to  grow  up 
again." 

It  has  been  conjectured  that  the  formation  of  this 
raft  began  nearly  five  centuries  ago.  The  cause,  it 
is  agreed,  was  that  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi, 
being  high  from  a  freshet  when  the  Red  River  was 
low,  backed  up  and  made  still  water  at  the  mouth. 
Driftwood  floating  downstream  was  stopped  in 
this  still  water;  further  accumulations  made  a 


TEARING  AWAY  THE  RAFT 


I23 


124      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

solid  mass  from  shore  to  shore.  When  the  Mis 
sissippi  fell  to  the  level  of  the  Red  River,  the 
mass  became  jammed.  The  banks  of  the  stream 
being  heavily  wooded,  vast  quantities  of  timber 
were  added,  and  the  raft  grew  at  the  rate  of 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  a  year. 

As  the  years  passed,  the  oldest  timber  rotted, 
and  sections  of  the  raft  broke  away  and  floated 
down  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  process  of 
decay  was  not  sufficiently  rapid  to  keep  pace  with 
the  additions,  and  the  raft  increased  in  length, 
while  gradually  receding  upstream.  This  recession 
was  so  slow  that  one  man  said,  "  If  we  would  wait 
about  two  hundred  years,  it  would  give  us  navigation 
up  to  some  eight  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth." 

But  it  has  not  been  the  American  custom  to 
wait  patiently  through  centuries  for  the  easy 
accomplishment  of  an  important  work.  It  was 
realized  that  there  was  too  much  at  stake  to  falter 
because  the  difficulties  were  great.  The  whole 
Red  River  country  was  malarial,  because  of  the 
decaying  timber.  As  the  raft  grew,  settlers  were 
driven  back,  not  only  by  the  malaria,  but  by  the 
waters,  which  overflowed  the  prairies  and  made 
of  a  fertile  country  a  lake  from  twenty  to  thirty 
miles  long.  Houses  were  deserted,  and  the  devel 
opment  of  the  region  was  retarded. 


THE  RED  RIVER  RAFT  125 

When  the  government  engineers,  to  whom  was 
committed  the  task  of  removing  the  obstruction, 
made  their  preliminary  survey  in  1833,  the  raft 
was  found  to  be  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
miles  long,  its  lower  end  being  about  four  hun 
dred  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  stream.  Oper 
ations  were  begun  at  once,  under  the  direction  of 
Captain  Shreve.  At  first  the  work  was  not  difficult. 
The  lower  part  of  the  raft  was  in  such  a  state  of 
decay,  and  yielded  so  readily  to  the  grapplings  of 
the  steamer  that  about  one  hundred  miles  of  it  was 
pulled  away  the  first  season.  Good  navigation  was 
thus  established  up  to  Coates'  Bluff,  now  Shreve- 
port,  so  named  for  the  leader  of  the  expedition. 

The  last  thirty  miles  of  the  obstruction  pre 
sented  great  difficulties,  and  the  completion  of  the 
task  was  much  delayed.  The  timber  was  solid. 
Axes  and  saws  were  used,  while  nitroglycerin 
and  dynamite  facilitated  the  work.  The  explosives 
were  handled  with  great  unwillingness  by  the 
engineers,  who  were  not  accustomed  to  them. 
Captain  Tennyson,  in  an  official  report  to  his 
superior,  wrote,  "  I  have  been  uneasy  sometimes 
about  dynamite,  probably  a  foolish  whim,  but  put 
it  off  my  boat  in  December,  and  refused  to  use  it." 

The  raft  figures  in  public  documents  for  many 
years.  Appropriation  after  appropriation  was  made. 


126      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Millions  of  dollars  were  expended.  Finally,  in  1873, 
a  navigable  channel  was  completed.  At  once  the 
level  of  water  above  was  lowered  fifteen  feet. 

Since  1873  the  work  has  been  continued  by 
snag  boats,  which  patrol  the  river  and  keep  it 
clear  of  obstructions.  The  banks  are  stripped  of 
all  timber  which  might  fall  into  the  stream  and 
help  to  remake  the  raft. 

When  the  work  of  clearing  was  only  partially 
completed,  a  person  who  knew  the  country  and 
its  possibilities  wrote,  "  The  greatness  of  the  enter 
prise  warrants  any  trouble  in  reason  it  may  give 
for  a  few  years  to  have  a  stream  with  so  much  of 
future  promise  kept  open  and  in  order."  The 
prophecy  was  made  that  the  fertile  lands  of  the 
valley  "  would  be  inhabited  by  a  dense  population, 
and  its  waters  freighted  with  the  produce  of  its 
unlimited  fine  range  for  cattle  and  hogs,  and  also 
with  cotton,  wheat,  and  other  grains." 

Although  the  building  of  railways  is  responsible 
for  the  partial  inaccuracy  of  this  forecast,  yet  the 
prophecy  has  been  justified  by  events.  The  Red 
River  country  is  settled  by  thousands  who  could 
never  have  made  their  homes  there  but  for  the 
dauntless  spirit  of  American  pioneers. 

Sources.    Government  reports. 

De  Bo'w's  Review.    New  Orleans,  1855. 


^ 


The  next  increase  in  territory  of  the  United  States,  following 
the  Louisiana  Purchase,  came  when  the  republic  of  Texas  sought 
and  gained  admission  to  the  Union. 

An  observant  traveler  made  it  possible  for  us  to  know  what  life 
in  the  republic  was  like. 


CHAPTER    XX 

A  DAY  IN  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  TEXAS 

In  1830  the  Mexican  government,  fearing  the 
encroachments  of  foreigners  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  province  of  Coahuila,  known  as  Texas,  for 
bade  further  immigration.  So  the  Americans,  who 
were  there  in  large  numbers,  were  instrumental  in 
having  a  request  presented  to  Santa  Anna,  presi 
dent  of  Mexico,  that  Texas  be  organized  as  a  state 
in  the  Mexican  Union. 

The  request  was  refused,  and  dissatisfaction  was 
so  great  that  Texas  revolted  in  1835.  Sam  Hous 
ton,  chosen  general  of  the  forces  in  rebellion,  suc 
ceeded  in  achieving  the  independence  of  his  people 
at  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  in  April,  1836,  when 
Santa  Anna  was  captured.  In  October,  1836,  Gen 
eral  Houston  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the 
republic,  which  successfully  maintained  its  exist 
ence  until  1845,  when  it  was,  at  its  own  urgent 

127 


128      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


and    repeated    request,    admitted    by    resolution    of 
Congress  as  one  of  the   United  States. 

A  visit  to  the  frontier  state  was  made  in  May, 
1837,  by  John  James  Audubon,  the  naturalist,  in 
the  course  of  his  rambles  in  search  of  birds  and 
other  specimens  in  natural  history.  The  account 

of  his  stay  in  Galveston, 
and  in  Houston,  the  capi 
tal,  as  given  by  him  in 
his  diary,  is  not  only  in 
teresting  reading,  but  is 
invaluable  as  furnishing 
one  of  the  few  records  of 
life  in  the  Lone-Star  Re 
public  in  its  first  months 
of  struggle. 

Audubon  approached 
Galveston  by  sea  and 
thus  saw  many  reminders 
of  the  war  so  recently 

ended.  "  We  went  ashore  at  Galveston,"  he  wrote. 
;'  The  only  objects  of  interest  we  saw  were  the 
Mexican  prisoners ;  they  are  used  as  slaves  —  made 
to  carry  wood  and  water,  and  cut  grass  for  the 
horses,  and  such  work ;  it  is  said  that  some  are 
made  to  draw  the  plow.  We  passed  through  the 
troops  and  observed  the  miserable  condition  of  the 


GENERAL  SAM   HOUSTON 


A  DAY  IN  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  TEXAS  129 

whole  concern  —  huts  made  of  grass,  and  a  few 
sticks  or  sods  cut  into  square  pieces  composed 
the  buildings  of  the  poor  Mexican  prisoners,  who, 
half-clad  and  half-naked,  strolled  about  in  a  state 
of  apparent  inactivity.  .  .  .  The  soldiers'  huts  are 
placed  in  irregular  rows,  and  at  unequal  distances ; 
a  dirty  blanket  or  a  coarse  rug  hangs  over  the  en 
trance  in  place  of  a  door.  No  windows  were  seen, 
except  in  one  or  two  cabins  occupied  by  Texas 
officers  and  soldiers." 

The  journey  to  Houston  was  made  in  a  rain 
storm,  so  that  the  first  view  of  the  capital  was  not 
prepossessing.  '  The  Buffalo  Bayou  had  risen 
about  six  feet,  and  the  neighboring  prairies  were 
partly  covered  with  water;  there  was  a  wild  and 
desolate  look  cast  on  the  surrounding  scenery. 
We  had  already  passed  two  little  girls  encamped 
on  the  bank  of  the  bayou,  under  cover  of  a  few 
clapboards,  cooking  a  scanty  meal ;  shanties,  car 
goes  of  hogsheads,  barrels,  etc.,  were  spread  about 
the  landing;  and  Indians,  drunk  and  hallooing, 
were  stumbling  about  in  the  mud  in  every  direc 
tion.  These  poor  beings  had  come  here  to  enter 
into  a  treaty  proposed  by  the  whites. 

"  We  walked  toward  the  President's  house,  ac 
companied  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  as 
soon  as  we  rose  above  the  bank  we  saw  before  us 


130      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

a  level  of  far-extending  prairie,  destitute  of  timber, 
and  of  rather  poor  soil.  Houses  half  finished  and 
most  of  them  without  roofs,  tents,  and  a  liberty 
pole,  with  the  capitol,  were  all  exhibited  to  our 


THE  ALAMO,  SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXAS 

Here,  for  three  weeks,  a  small  body  of  Texans  resisted  a  Mexican 
force  ten  times  their  number 


view  at  once.  We  approached  the  President's  man 
sion,  wading  through  water  above  ankles.  This 
abode  of  President  Houston  is  a  small  log  house, 
consisting  of  two  rooms,  and  a  passage  through, 
after  the  Southern  fashion.  The  moment  we 


A  DAY  IN  THE  REPUBLIC   OF  TEXAS      131 

stepped  over  the  threshold,  on  the  right  side  of  the 
passage,  we  found  ourselves  ushered  into  what  in 
other  countries  would  be  called  the  ante-chamber; 
the  ground  floor,  however,  was  muddy  and  filthy, 
a  large  fire  was  burning,  a  small  table  covered 
with  papers  and  writing  materials  was  in  the 
center,  camp  beds  and  trunks  were  strewn  about 
the  room.  We  were  at  once  presented  to  several 
members  of  the  cabinet,  some  of  whom  bore  the 
stamp  of  men  of  intellectual  ability. 

"  We  amused  ourselves  by  walking  to  the 
capitol,  which  was  yet  without  a  roof,  and  the 
floors,  benches,  and  tables  of  both  houses  of  Con 
gress  were  as  well  saturated  with  water  as  our 
clothes  had  been  in  the  morning. 

"We  first  caught  sight  of  President  Houston 
as  he  walked  from  one  of  the  grog  shops,  where 
he  had  been  to  prevent  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits. 
He  was  on  the  way  to  his  house,  and  wore  a  large 
gray  coarse  hat.  He  was  upward  of  six  feet  tall, 
and  strong  in  proportion.  We  reached  his  abode 
before  him,  but  he  soon  came,  and  we  were  pre 
sented  to  His  Excellency.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
fancy  velvet  coat,  and  trousers  trimmed  with  broad, 
gold  lace ;  around  his  neck  was  tied  a  cravat, 
somewhat  in  the  style  of  Seventy-six.  He  at  once 
removed  from  the  ante-room  to  his  private  chamber, 


132      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

which,  by  the  way,  was  not  much  cleaner  than 
the  former. 

"  We  returned  to  our  boat  through  a  melee  of 
Indians  and  blackguards  of  all  sorts.  In  giving  a 
look  back  we  once  more  noted  a  number  of  horses 
rambling  about  the  grounds,  or  tied  beneath  the 
few  trees  that  have  been  spared  by  the  ax.  We  also 
saw  a  liberty  pole,  erected  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  on  the  2ist  of  last  April 
and  were  informed  that  a  brave  tar,  who  rigged 
the  Texan  flag  on  that  occasion,  had  been  per 
sonally  rewarded  by  President  Houston  with  a 
town  lot,  a  doubloon,  and  the  privilege  of  keeping 
a  ferry  across  the  Buffalo  Bayou." 

It  would  be  interesting  to  learn  what  the  sailor 
did  with  his  town  lot,  which  he  probably  valued 
less  than  the  doubloon  or  the  ferry  privilege.  The 
city  has  developed  so  rapidly  that  the  present 
owner  must  hold  it  at  a  good  figure ;  for  the  Lone- 
Star  State  has  had  a  marvelous  growth  since  the 
days  of  Audubon  and  Houston.  Instead  of  barren 
plains,  there  are  extensive  fields  of  cotton ;  instead 
of  an  unfinished  capitol,  one  of  the  most  imposing 
edifices  in  the  country;  instead  of  a  log  cabin  for 
the  executive  mansion,  a  governor's  house  that  is  a 
credit  to  the  state.  Everywhere  are  signs  of  thrift 
and  prosperity. 


A  DAY  IN  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  TEXAS      133 

What  a  debt  is  owed  to  the  pioneers  who  en 
dured  the  hardships  and  were  willing  to  undergo 
difficulties  that  their  successors  might  enjoy  peace 
and  prosperity! 

Source.  MRS.  AUDUBON  (Editor).  Life  of  J.  J.  Audubon.  G.  P. 
Putnam's  Sons,  New  York. 


^UtVLWUJ^LmAVU^ 


Seven  days  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh.  This  was  the  time 
made  by  the  first  stages.  They  succeeded  in  covering,  according  to 
the  difficulty  of  the  road,  from  two  to  four  miles  an  hour.  At 
night  the  passengers  were  glad  to  rest  at  one  of  the  numerous 
roadside  taverns. 


rAW^ft^YyrwnYirwAYr^^ 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ON  AN  OLD  STAGE  ROAD 

In  an  old  diary,  kept  by  some  one  whose  name 
is  not  known,  there  is  a  curious  entry  which  tells 
something  of  the  difficulties  encountered  by  a 
traveler  on  the  Lancaster  Pike  in  Pennsylvania, 
before  the  days  of  railroads.  In  telling  of  "a  trip 
for  pleasure "  made  over  the  old  road  from  Lan 
caster  to  Philadelphia,  he  wrote : 

Left  Lancaster  ...  in  good  spirits,  but  alas,  a  sad  acci 
dent  had  like  to  have  turned  our  mirth  into  mourning,  for 
W.  driving  careless  and  being  happily  engaged  with  the  lady 
he  had  the  pleasure  of  riding  with,  and  not  mindful  enough 
of  his  charge,  drove  against  a  large  stump  which  stood  in 
the  way,  by  which  the  chair  was  overturned  and  the  lady 
thrown  out  to  a  considerable  distance,  but  happily  received 
no  hurt.  About  8  o'clock  arrived  at  Douglass'  where  supped 
and  rested  all  night.  The  supper  was  pretty  tolerable,  beds 
indifferent,  being  short  of  sheets  for  the  beds,  the  woman 
was  good  enough  to  let  W.  have  a  tablecloth  in  lieu  of  one. 


ON  AN  OLD  STAGE  ROAD 


135 


In  1789  a  family  party  took  passage  on  a  stage 
of  a  later  line,  hoping  for  a  speedy  passage  from 
Philadelphia  to  Lancaster.  Everything  was  all 
right  until  they  overtook  a  husband  and  wife 
who  had  been  traveling  in  a  chair  until  the  driver 
refused  to  take  them  further.  Room  was  made 


AT  THE  PHILADELPHIA  TERMINUS 


for  the  wife  in  the  stage;  the  husband  walked 
alongside.  The  further  incidents  of  the  journey 
were  related  by  one  of  the  party  in  a  letter  to 
friends.  The  road  was  so  rough,  and  the  load 
was  so  heavy,  that  the  axle  soon  cracked,  and  the 
stage  dropped  to  the  road.  Fortunately  nobody 
was  injured,  so  the  party  extricated  themselves 


136      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

and  "footed  it  Indian  fashion  to  the  nearest  inn," 
two  miles  distant.  After  eating  dinner  they  per 
suaded  a  countryman  to  take  them  on  the  next 
stage  of  the  journey.  "  His  team  proved  to  be  a 
country  wagon  without  springs  or  cover,  with  no 
seats  other  than  bundles  of  rye  straw."  However, 
all  agreed  that  the  wagon  was  better  than  walking. 
Finally,  after  twelve  weary  hours,  the  party  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  Downey's. 

It  was  not  till  1804  tnat  a  regular  stage  line 
to  Philadelphia  was  operated  over  the  Lancaster 
Pike.  As  this  was  the  great  highway  to  the 
West,  the  road  had  been  improved  in  order  that 
the  vehicles  of  all  sorts  which  used  it  might  find 
it  passable.  The  first  newspaper  announcement  of 
the  new  stage  line  was  quaint: 

PHILADELPHIA  &  PITTSBURGH  MAIL  STAGES 

A  contract  being  made  with  the  Postmaster  General  of 
the  United  States  for  the  carrying  of  the  mail  to  and  from 
Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh,  in  stage  wagons,  a  line  of 
stages  will  be  in  operation  on  the  first  of  July  next,  on 
same  route,  which  line  will  start  from  John  Tomlinson's 
Spread  Eagle,  Market  street,  No.  285,  Philadelphia,  and 
from  Thomas  Forries,  the  Fountain  Inn,  Water  street, 
Pittsburgh  :  and  perform  the  same  route  in  seven  days  from 
the  above  places.  Passengers  must  pay  $20.00  each,  with 
the  privilege  of  twenty  pounds  of  baggage,  all  above  that 


ON  AN  OLD  STAGE  ROAD  137 

weight  in  baggage  sent  by  above  line,  to  pay  at  the  rate  of 
$12.00  per  hundred  pounds,  if  the  packages  are  of  such 
dimensions  as  to  be  admissible  to  the  conveyance  .  .  . 

Printed  cards  will  be  distributed,  and  may  be  had  at  the 
proprietors'  different  stagehouses,  giving  a  full  detail  of  the 
distance  and  time  of  arrival  at  the  several  towns  through 
which  the  line  shall  pass. 

N.  B.  Printers  who  shall  think  the  above  establishment 
a  public  benefit  will  please  give  the  same  a  place  in  their 
respective  papers  a  few  times. 

PHILADELPHIA,  JUNE  13,  1804 

The  first  trip  was  not  made  until  July  4.  At 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  stage  was  drawn 
up  at  the  starting  point,  "  the  four  prancing  horses 
with  red,  white  and  blue  ribbons,"  according  to 
our  historian. 

Long  before  the  starting  time  the  mail  was  in  the  "boot," 
the  straps  drawn  tight,  the  booked  passengers  in  their  seats, 
while  as  a  last  precaution  an  extra  keg  of  tar  was  slung  to  the 
hind  axle,  the  lynchpin  examined  and  the  dustproof  covers 
fastened  on  the  hubs.  Then  .  .  .  the  driver  and  the  armed 
guard  took  their  places  on  the  box,  the  lines  tightened,  the 
whip  cracked,  and  the  pioneer  mail  stage  to  the  West  left 
the  office  among  the  cheers  of  the  assembled  multitude. 

Before  long  another  stage  line  was  established, 
and  residents  along  the  road  learned  to  watch 
eagerly  for  the  races  between  the  rivals. 


138      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  demand  for  "  accommodation  stages,"  which 
would  stop  to  pick  up  a  passenger  at  any  point, 
became  so  great  that  this  was  made  a  regular 
feature  of  the  service.  The  fare  for  way  passen 
gers  was  fixed  at  six  cents  a  mile.  Express  pas 
sengers  used  the  through  coaches,  and  rejoiced 
that  the  fare  had  been  reduced  to  #18.50,  because 
of  the  large  increase  in  travel  between  the  cities. 


MODEL  OF  PHILADELPHIA  AND  PITTSBURGH  STAGECOACH 

By  1823  there  were  eleven  lines  of  stages  running 
daily  on  the  eastern  section  of  the  road.  These 
were  known  as  Berwick,  Downington,  Harrisburg 
Coaches,  Harrisburg  Stage,  Lancaster  Accommo 
dation,  Lancaster  Coaches,  Lancaster  and  Pittsburgh 
Mail,  MifBin  and  Lewiston  via  Harrisburg,  Phila 
delphia  and  Pittsburgh  via  York,  Pittsburgh  via 
Harrisburg,  and  Philadelphia  and  West  Chester. 


ON  AN  OLD  STAGE  ROAD 


139 


But  coaches  were  not  the  only  vehicles  on  the 
busy  road.  At  about  the  close  of  the  first  quarter 
of  the  century  "  there  was  hardly  a  moment  dur 
ing  the  twenty-four  hours  when  there  was  not 
some  travel.  ...  It  was  a  frequent  sight  to  see 
long  lines  of  Conestoga  wagons  going  toward  the 


CONESTOGA  WAGON.    "PHILADELPHIA  TO  PITTSBURGH  20  DAYS" 

city  loaded  with  the  products  of  the  West,  or  going 
in  the  opposite  direction  freighted  with  the  pro 
ductions  of  eastern  mills  or  foreign  merchandise  ; 
their  wagons  were  usually  drawn  by  fine  stout 
teams,  each  horse  having  on  its  collar  a  set  of 
bells  consisting  of  different  tones,  which  made 
very  singular  music  as  the  team  trudged  along 


140      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

at  the  rate  of  about  four  miles  an  hour.  Emigrants 
could  also  frequently  be  seen  on  the  way,  gener 
ally  in  companies  for  mutual  assistance,  going  with 
their  families  and  worldly  possessions  towards  the 
new  West." 

Source.   JULIUS  H.  SACHSE.    The  Wayside  Inns  of  the  Lancaster 
Roadside.     Published  by  the  author,  Philadelphia. 


JJWJXVU^MUUL^J^ 

i 


A  journey  to  the  West  was  a  great  undertaking  in  the  early 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Think  of  advancing  only  ten  or 
twelve  miles  in  a  day !  Frequently  progress  was  even  slower  than 
this.  Sometimes,  when  roads  were  especially  bad,  it  was  necessary 
to  walk  all  day  long. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  PIONEER  TRAVELER  ON  THE  ROAD 

In  1810  Margaret  D wight,  a  niece  of  Timothy 
Dwight,  then  president  of  Yale  College,  decided 
to  go  from  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  to  Warren, 
Ohio.  She  did  not  think  of  the  trip  as  a  pleasure 
jaunt,  for  at  that  day  there  could  have  been  little 
pleasure  in  a  journey  of  six  hundred  miles.  But  her 
parents  were  dead,  and  she  was  to  make  her 
home  with  cousins  in  the  frontier  town.  Fortu 
nately  she  could  join  a  small  party  of  Ohio  people 
who  were  returning  home.  She  kept  a  journal  in 
which  she  wrote  every  night  the  story  of  the 
day's  events.  This  is  now  one  of  the  treasures 
of  a  granddaughter. 

Soon  after  leaving  New  Haven  Miss  Dwight 
met  a  woman  who  asked  her  destination.  "  You 
bant  going  to  New  Connecticut  ? "  was  the  as 
tonished  comment  when  the  traveler  replied  to  her 

141 


142      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

question.  "  Why,  what  a  long  journey !  Do  you 
ever  expect  to  get  there  ?  They  say  there 's  wild 
Indians  there." 

Progress  over  the  rough  roads  of  New  Jersey 
was  slow.  At  times  only  ten  or  twelve  miles  were 
made  in  a  day.  Once  eight  miles  was  the  total 
advance  in  three  days.  But  for  the  toll  roads, 
many  of  which  were  kept  in  fair  condition,  it 
would  not  have  been  possible  to  go  so  far.  Many 
nights  were  spent  in  taverns  where  the  accommo 
dations  provided  were  so  unpleasant  that  the 
travelers  were  eager  to  start  on  their  way  very 
early  in  the  morning. 

The  signboards  on  the  inns  amused  the  young 
traveler.  She  told  of  some  of  these  to  her  friend : 

I  saw  one  in  N.  J.  with  Thos.  Jeff'n's  head  and  shoulders 
and  his  name  above  it  —  to-day  I  saw  Gen.  G.  Washington 
—  his  name  underneath  —  Gen.  Putnam  riding  down  the 
steps  at  Horseneck  —  one  sign  was  merely  three  little  kegs 
hanging  down  one  after  the  other.  They  have  the  sun 
rising,  setting,  and  a  full  moon,  a  new  moon,  the  moon  and 
seven  stars  around  her,  the  lion  and  unicorn  fighting,  etc., 
and  everything  else  ever  seen  or  heard  of. 

The  last  day's  ride  in  northern  New  Jersey 
was  thus  described : 

We  crossed  the  longest  hills,  and  the  worst  road  I  ever 
saw  —  two  or  three  times,  after  riding  a  little  distance  on 


A  PIONEER  TRAVELER  ON  THE  ROAD     143 

the  turnpike,  we  found  it  fenced  across,  and  were  obliged 
to  turn  into  a  wood  where  it  was  almost  impossible  to  pro 
ceed  —  large  trees  were  across,  not  the  road,  for  there  was 
none,  but  the  only  place  we  could  possibly  ride.  It  appeared 
to  me,  we  had  come  to  an  end  of  the  habitable  globe  — 
but  all  these  difficulties  were  at  last  surmounted,  and  we 
reached  the  Delaware.  The  bridge  over  it  is  elegant,  I 
think  —  it  is  covered  and  has  sixteen  windows  each  side. 


CROSSING  THE  ALLEGHENIES 


At  the  end  of  a  hard  day  on  Pennsylvania 
roads  the  party  came  to  a  tavern,  but  they  were 
denied  accommodations.  They  were  told  of  a  log 
hut  across  the  road,  built  for  "  movers  "  like  them 
selves,  "that  the  landlord  need  not  be  bothered 
with  them."  They  wished  to  go  in  search  of  better 


144      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

accommodations,  but,  as  their  horses  were  tired, 
they  decided  to  make  the  best  of  the  hut.  "  We 
have  a  good  fire,"  the  journal  explained,  "a  long, 
dirty  table,  a  few  boards  nailed  up  for  a  closet,  a 
dozen  long  boards  in  one  side  and  as  many  barrels 
in  the  other,  two  benches  to  sit  on,  two  bottom 
less  chairs,  and  a  floor  containing  dirt  enough  to 
plant  potatoes.  .  .  .  The  man  says  he  has  been  so 
bothered  with  movers  that  he  has  taken  down 
his  sign,  for  he  does  not  need  his  tavern  to  live. 
If  we  had  a  mind  to  stay,  we  might,  but  if  we 
chose  to  go  on  he  had  no  objections." 

On  the  last  day  before  beginning  the  crossing 
of  the  Alleghenies  the  weary  travelers  came  to 
an  inn  where  they  hoped  to  have  a  good  rest,  in 
preparation  for  the  next  day's  exertions.  "  We 
were  never  so  disappointed,"  Miss  Dwight  wrote. 
"  We  were  put  in  an  old  garret  that  had  holes  in 
the  roof  big  enough  to  crawl  through  —  our  bed 
was  on  the  floor,  harder  it  appear 'd  to  me,  than 
boards  could  be  —  and  dirty  as  possible  —  a  dirty 
feather  bed  our  only  covering." 

The  mountains  were  crossed  on  foot.  At  first 
the  writer  of  the  journal  thought  it  was  fun  to 
climb  mountains,  but  when  she  had  walked  up 
hill  and  down  for  several  days  she  changed  her 
mind.  Once  she  wrote :  "  I  was  so  lame  and  so 


A  PIONEER  TRAVELER  ON  THE  ROAD     145 

tir'd  that  for  an  hour  I  did  not  know  but  I  must 
sit  down  and  die — I  could  not  ride  —  the  road 
was  so  bad,  it  was  worse  than  walking."  Once 
she  told  of  "large  stones  and  deep  mud-holes 
every  step  of  the  way,"  adding,  "  We  were  obliged 
to  walk  as  much  as  we  possibly  could,  as  the 
horses  could  hardly  stir  the  wagon,  the  mud  was 
so  deep  and  the  stones  so  large." 

After  experience  with  such  roads  as  this,  she 
said  she  understood  at  last  why  so  few  of  the 
many  emigrants  to  Ohio  ever  returned  to  the 
East.  It  was  not  because  the  new  country  was 
so  good,  but  because  the  roads  were  so  bad. 

She  expressed  wonder  at  the  number  of  those 
who  were  enduring  the  privations  of  the  way. 
"  From  what  I  have  seen  and  heard,  I  think  the 
State  of  Ohio  will  be  well  fill'd  before  winter. 
Wagons  without  number  every  day  go  on.  One 
went  on  containing  forty  people  —  we  almost  every 
day  see  them  with  18  or  20  —  one  stopt  here 
to-night  with  21." 

At  last  the  journey  was  completed,  though  it 
required  six  weeks  instead  of  the  four  weeks  for 
which  plans  had  been  made.  Miss  Dwight  had 
said  good-by  to  her  friends  in  New  Haven  on 
October  19,  and  it  was  December  i  when  she 
reached  Warren. 


146      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Miss  Dwight's  shoes  were  worn  to  shreds  by 
the  long  walks  over  the  mountains  and  along  the 
lowlands,  and  her  clothing  was  threadbare.  She 
declared  she  would  not  undertake  the  return  trip 
till  "  the  new  turnpike "  was  completed. 

Source,  MAX  FERRAND  (Editor).  A  Journey  to  Ohio  in  1810,  as 
recorded  in  the  Journal  of  Margaret  Dwight.  Yale  Historical  Manu 
scripts,  Yale  University  Press. 


^W^AAW/AW/AVJAAWXXWA\W;U^ 


Always  there  were  some  who  felt  that  it  was  useless  to  talk  of 


colonizing  the  West  because  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  traveling  ; 


but  always  there  were  others  who  urged  that  settlers  could  and 
would  find  their  way  to  the  broad  lands  in  the  new  country.  One 
of  the  most  ardent  of  these  was  George  Washington.  He  dreamed 
of  a  day  when  the  journey  to  the  West  would  be  comparatively 
easy.  The  story  of  the  Patowmack  Canal  tells  how  he  tried  to 
make  his  dream  come  true,  in  the  face  of  difficulties  that  to  many 
seemed  insurmountable. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  CANAL  BUILDER 

During  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  cen 
tury  and  the  opening  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  the  states  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  took 
a  prominent  part  in  planning  for  the  colonization 
of  the  great  West.  And  it  was  largely  due  to 
George  Washington,  Virginia's  greatest  son,  that 
plans  to  this  end  were  made  and  carried  out. 

Even  before  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain  was  signed,  Washington  was  busying  him 
self  with  plans  for  the  development  of  the  country. 
Once  he  wrote  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette: 

I  have  it  in  contemplation  to  make  a  tour  thro'  all  the 
Eastern  States,  thence  into  Canada,  thence  up  the  St.  Law 
rence  and  thro'  the  lakes  to  Detroit,  thence  to  Lake  Michigan 
by  land  or  water,  thence  thro'  the  Western  Country,  by  the 

147 


148      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

river  Illinois  to  the  river  Mississippi ;  and  down  the  same  to 
New  Orleans,  thence  into  Georgia  by  the  way  of  Pensacola, 
and  then  thro'  the  two  Carolinas  home.  A  great  tour  this, 
you  will  say. 

Although    Washington    was    not    able    to    take 
this    tour,  he    did    make    several    shorter   journeys 


Ewing,  Washington 
ON  THE  OLD   PATOWMACK  CANAL 

which  opened  his  eyes  more  than  ever  to  the 
opportunities  for  developing  water  communication. 
He  wrote  to  a  friend: 

I  could  not  help  taking  a  more  contemplative  and  ex 
tensive  view  of  the  vast  inland  navigation  of  these  United 
States,  from  maps  and  the  information  of  others ;  and  could 
not  but  be  struck  with  the  immense  diffusion  and  importance 


WASHINGTON,  CANAL  BUILDER         149 

of  it,  and  with  the  goodness  of  that  Providence,  which  has 
dealt  his  favors  to  us  with  so  profuse  a  hand.  Would  to 
God  we  may  have  wisdom  enough  to  improve  them. 

But   Washington  was    not    one   of    those   whose 
eyes  are   so  fixed  on  the  distant  chances   that  he 


©  Harris  and  Ewing,  Washingtor 
WITHIN  SIGHT  OF  WASHINGTON 


was  blinded  to  those  near  at  hand.  When  he  re 
turned  to  his  Virginia  home,  he  began  to  think 
of  the  Potomac,  and  the  facilities  it  would  offer, 
if  improved,  for  reaching  the  Ohio  by  means  of  a 
single  portage,  and  so  the  great  West. 

A  number  of  men  met  and  talked  of  this  scheme. 
They  found  that  one  great  difficulty  in  their  way 


150      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

was  the  lack  of  a  thorough  understanding  between 
Maryland  and  Virginia  as  to  the  regulation  of 
navigation  on  the  river.  This  understanding  was 
brought  about  in  1785  by  the  Mount  Vernon 
compact.  As  ratified  by  the  state  legislatures,  it 
has  been  held  by  historians  to  be  the  origin  of 
the  call  for  the  constitutional  convention  of  1787 
in  Philadelphia. 

One  of  the  first  steps  taken  to  put  into  effect 
the  action  of  the  legislatures  was  the  insertion  of 
an  advertisement  in  the  Maryland  Gazette  in  1785 : 

PATOWMACK  CANAL! 

By  virtue  of  an  act  of  the  last  General  Assembly  of 
Maryland  .  .  .  notice  is  hereby  given  that  the  laudable 
subscriptions  so  essentially  necessary  to  accomplish  a  work 
fraught  with  such  unusual  advantages  is  now  opened  at 
Annapolis. 

On  May  17,  1785,  in  Alexandria,  the  Patowmack 
Company  was  organized,  Washington  being  the 
chairman  of  the  meeting  held  for  the  purpose. 
In  a  paper  read  before  the  Columbia  Historical 
Society  of  Washington,  Mrs.  Corra  Bacon-Foster 
said  of  this  meeting: 

And  thus  the  first  incorporation  of  a  company  for  the 
improvement  of  our  inland  waterways  was  accomplished ; 
its  successors  have  been  many,  but  none  have  ventured  into 


WASHINGTON,  CANAL  BUILDER         151 

unknown  difficulties  and  perplexities  with  greater  courage 
or  higher  motives ;  their  aims  were  to  benefit  the  remote 
settler,  to  safeguard  the  Union  and  incidentally  to  plan  a 
remunerative  investment. 

Work  was  begun  immediately.  Before  many 
months  engineers  were  busy  at  Great  Falls.  That 
those  engaged  on  this  early  project  had  their  troubles 
with  laborers  may  be  seen  from  a  report  of  the 
treasurer  of  the  Patowmack  Company: 

Great  Falls  potowmack  July  3d  1786.  Sir  We  have 
Been  much  Imposed  upon  the  last  Two  weeks  in  the  powder 
way  (we  had  our  Blowers,  One  Run  off  the  other  Blown 
up)  we  therefore  was  Obliged  to  have  two  new  hands  put 
to  Blowing  and  there  was  much  attention  given  to  them 
least  Axedents  should  happen  yet  they  used  the  powder 
Rather  too  Extravagant,  But  that  was  not  all  they  have 
certainly  stolen  a  Considerable  Quantity  as  we  have  not 
more  by  us  than  will  last  until  tomorrow  noon.  Our  hole 
troop  is  Such  Villians  that  we  must  for  the  future  give  the 
powder  into  Charge  of  a  person  appointed  for  that  purpose 
to  measure  it  to  them  on  the  ground  by  a  Charger.  —  I  hope 
you  will  have  it  in  your  power  to  send  us  powder  here  Im 
mediately.  .  .  .  please  to  send  i  Ib.  Salt  Petre  with  the 
powder,  we  think  we  Can  make  matches  with  it  that  will 
Save  powder. 

At  Great  Falls  the  Virginia  Legislature  let  the 
trustees  lay  off  a  town  to  be  called  Matildaville. 
For  fifty  years  the  name  was  to  be  seen  on 


152      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Virginia  maps,  though  the  site  cannot  now  be 
accurately  determined. 

In  December,  1801,  the  locks  at  Great  Falls 
were  completed.,  In  February,  1802,  they  were 
opened  for  business,  and  for  twenty-eight  years 
they  were  in  use.  The  volume  of  trade  and  the  re 
ceipts  from  tolls 
were  large.  Many 
visitors  from  far 
and  near  came  to 
see  this  greatest 
American  engi 
neering  achieve 
ment  of  the  time. 
All  went  so  well 
that  the  company 
grew  ambitious 
and  began  the  im- 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S  COACH 

provement  of  the 

Shenandoah,  the  Monocacy,  and  the  Antietam. 
Then  difficulties  began,  and  the  Patowmack  Com 
pany  soon  fell  on  evil  days.  Lotteries  were  resorted 
to  for  the  raising  of  funds,  and  there  were  disputes 
and  lawsuits  about  the  drawings.  Debts  hindered 
the  progress  of  the  work.  The  demand  for  the 
improvement  of  the  river  continued,  and  the  use 
of  the  canals  completed  became  larger  year  by 


WASHINGTON,  CANAL  BUILDER         153 

year,  but  the  Company  was  not  able  to  meet  the 
claims  upon  it. 

Then  came  the  end.  In  1828  the  Chesapeake 
and  Ohio  Canal  Company  took  over  the  prop 
erty  of  the  Patowmack  Company,  and  continued 
development  according  to  their  own  plans. 

The  coming  of  the  railroad  made  the  completion 
of  the  work  unnecessary.  The  canals  and  locks 
were  abandoned.  To-day  the  visitor  to  Great  Falls 
can  see  the  masonry  of  the  great  locks,  overgrown 
by  trees.  These  locks  are  so  stanch  that  one  is 
compelled  to  admire  the  thoroughness  and  skill 
of  those  early  workers. 

One  other  reminder  of  the  past  is  to  be  seen 
at  Great  Falls,  a  bronze  tablet  in  honor  of  George 
Washington,  the  first  officer  of  the  Patowmack 
Company. 

Source.  MRS.  CORRA  BACON-FOSTER.  Early  Chapters  in  the  De 
velopment  of  the  Patomac  Route  to  the  West.  Columbia  Historical 
Society,  Washington,  D.  C. 


George  Washington  had  his  successors  who  dreamed,  as  he  did, 
of  canals  that  would  make  easy  the  way  to  the  West.  Travel  by 
the  waterways  they  built  was  slow,  but  it  was  so  sure  that  for 
twenty  years  the  packet  boats  on  some  of  the  canals  were  popular 
means  of  transportation. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

WHEN  THE  CANAL  WAS   IN  ITS   GLORY 

The  pioneers  rejoiced  when  they  could  make  use 
of  the  rivers,  for  it  was  much  easier  to  travel  by 
water  than  by  the  miserable  roads  of  the  day.  Yet 
rivers  did  not  always  flow  in  the  desired  direction. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  question  was  asked 
and  answered  by  far-seeing  men  who  wanted  to 
help  in  the  development  of  the  country,  or  who 
wanted  to  make  money,  or  both.  They  would  dig 
artificial  rivers.  They  would  follow  the  example  of 
George  Washington  by  building  canals  as  he  had 
built  the  Potomac  Canal. 

The  first  experiments  in  canal  building  were  so 
successful  that  before  many  years  the  East  was 
gridironed  by  a  series  of  canals.  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  were  leaders  in  the  construction. 
The  Erie  Canal,  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  was 
authorized  in  1817,  and  was  finished  in  1825. 

154 


WHEN  THE  CANAL  WAS  IN  ITS  GLORY     155 

The  next  year  Pennsylvania  began  her  system  of 
artificial  waterways.  In  1825  Ohio  began  her  first 
great  canal,  and  in  1832  Indiana  made  her  initial 
experiment. 

The  Erie  Canal  was  the  most  successful  of  these 
waterways.  It  offered  the  easiest  method  of  trans 
portation  to  those  who  wished  to  go  to  northern 
Ohio,  for  when  the  first  stage  of  the  journey  ended 
at  Buffalo  they  were  able  to  take  passage  on  the 
fairly  comfortable  lake  boats  to  a  point  near  their 
destination.  The  canal  trip  was  usually  made  on 
boats  which,  on  the  trip  from  Buffalo  to  New 
York,  were  used  for  freight  transportation,  while 
on  the  return  trip  to  Buffalo  they  were  packed 
with  the  household  goods,  machinery,  cattle,  and 
families  of  those  who  dreamed  of  new  homes  in 
the  West.  The  passengers  were  glad  to  pay  the 
cent  and  a  half  a  mile  which  was  the  customary 
fee  demanded. 

The  canal  boat  was  a  curious  structure,  about 
eighty  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide.  On  the  deck 
was  a  cabin,  in  which  were  cramped  sleeping  quar 
ters.  The  bunks  were  folded  out  of  sight  in  the 
daytime,  that  room  might  be  made  for  the  long 
table  at  which  the  travelers  ate. 

The  boats  were  drawn  by  three  or  four  horses 
or  mules,  which  were  hitched  to  about  two  hundred 


156      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


feet  of  tow  line. 
It   has  been  es 
timated    that   at 
one    time    there 
were     as     many 
as  sixteen   thou 
sand   animals  in 
use  on  the  Erie 
Canal,   and    that 
$    there  must  have 
y    been    fifty  thou- 
w    sand  horses  and 
a    mules  on  all  the 

H 

|    canals. 

^        The  driver  was, 
usually,   a   mere 
$    boy.    Many  driv- 

%  i 

&3  ers  were  only 
ten  years  old. 
The  towpath  be 
came  a  refuge 
for  orphans,  who 
eagerly  adopted 
this  method  of 
earning  ten  dol 
lars  a  month  and 
board. 


WHEN  THE  CANAL  WAS  IN  ITS  GLORY     157 

While  the  speed  of  these  boats  was  sometimes 
as  great  as  four  miles  an  hour,  the  average  speed 
for  the  day  was  much  less.  Stops  were  frequent, 
and  passage  through  the  locks,  by  means  of  which 
a  higher  or  a  lower  level  was  reached,  was  made 
at  great  cost  of  time.  A  mile  and  a  half  an  hour 
was  considered  a  good  average  speed.  The  possi 
bilities  of  such  rapid  travel  were  shown  by  Colonel 
William  T.  Stone,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  New 
York  Commercial,  who  wrote  of  a  trip  made  to  the 
West  in  1829.  Of  one  day's  adventure  he  said: 

Stepping  ashore  to  look  about  a  little,  while  the  boat 
stopped  to  water  the  horses,  I  was  surprised  to  find  on  turn 
ing  around  that  the  boat  was  off,  and  a  bend  in  the  canal 
had  thrown  it  out  of  sight  as  if  by  magic.  I  lost  some 
moments  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  get  a  horse  to  follow  on, 
but  was  compelled  to  test  my  own  speed,  which,  hindered 
with  a  heavy  overcoat  and  an  asthmatic  affliction,  was  not  of 
the  fleetest.  However,  after  running  about  a  mile,  I  came 
near  enough  to  hail  the  boat. 

A  traveler  who  made  a  trip  on  the  Erie  Canal 
in  1825  gave  another  laughable  picture  of  this 
primitive  transportation  system : 

One  of  the  greatest  inconveniences  in  traveling  on  the 
canal  is  the  frequency  and  lowness  of  the  bridges ;  under 
most  of  these  the  boat  has  just  room  to  rub.  If  passengers 
are  standing  upon  the  deck,  with  their  backs  to  the  bridge, 
they  are  liable  to  be  swept  off  or  crushed  to  pieces.  Several 


158      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

accidents  of  this  kind  have  already  happened,  and  would 
occur  daily,  had  not  the  danger  rendered  it  a  part  of  the 
helmsman's  duty  to  give  notice  when  the  boat  is  approaching 
a  bridge.  Those  who  are  expert,  leap  the  barrier,  jumping  up 
on  one  side  and  off  at  the  other,  while  others  hurry  below, 
sometimes  with  all  possible  dispatch  and  even  then  not  without 
losing  a  hat.  Measures  are  taken  to  correct  this  inconvenience 
by  elevating  the  bridges  several  feet  above  the  highest  decks. 


THE  IRON  STEAMBOAT  R.   F.  STOCKTON 

Travelers  who  were  willing  to  pay  an  extra  rate 
of  fare  traveled  by  limited  packet  boats,  which 
made  few  stops  and  thus  were  able  to  make  an 
average  distance  of  something  like  the  four  miles 
which  the  state  law  allowed.  Greater  speed  was 
not  permitted  because  it  was  found  that  when 
boats  moved  faster,  the  wash  set  up  caused  the 
banks  of  the  canal  to  crumble.  The  usual  time 


WHEN  THE  CANAL  WAS  IN  ITS  GLORY     159 

required  for  the  journey  from  Albany  to  Buffalo 
was  six  or  seven  days,  though  there  is  record  of 
a  journey  which  required  but  five  days  and  a  half. 
An  Albany  newspaper  spoke  of  this  in  terms  of 
wonder  as  a  "  Quick  Passage." 

Fanny  Kemble,  the  actress,  in  her  journal,  pub 
lished  in  Philadelphia  in  1835,  told  of  a  trip  she 
made  on  an  Erie  Canal  packet  boat  in  1833. 
She  said: 

I  like  traveling  by  the  canal  boats  very  much.  Ours  was 
not  crowded,  and  the  country  through  which  we  passed  being 
delightful,  the  placid  moderate  gliding  through  it  at  the  rate 
of  about  four  miles  and  a  half  an  hour  seemed  to  me  infi 
nitely  preferable  to  the  noise  of  wheels,  the  rumble  of  a  coach 
and  the  jerking  of  bad  roads,  for  the  gain  of  half  a  mile 
an  hour. 

To  Miss  Martineau,  the  English  traveler,  canal 
travel  did  not  seem  so  delightful  as  to  Miss  Kemble. 
She  said : 

I  would  not  advise  ladies  to  travel  by  canal.  .  .  .  On  fine 
days  it  is  pleasant  enough  sitting  outside  (except  for  having  to 
duck  under  bridges  every  quarter  of  an  hour)  and  in  dark  eve 
nings  the  approach  of  the  boat  lights  on  the  water  is  a  pretty 
sight ;  but  the  horrors  of  night  and  wet  days  more  than 
compensate  for  all  the  advantages  these  vehicles  can  boast. 

As  a  contrast  to  this  dismal  picture,  we  have 
the  assurance  given  by  Miss  Caroline  Spencer,  in 


160      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

an  article  in  the  Magazine  of  American  History, 
published  in  1889,  that  in  1835  s^e  found  the 
boat  exceedingly  pleasant. 

It  seemed  such  a  relief  from  the  hot  breathing  steam 
boat  and  the  close,  hurried  railroad  car.  .  .  .  The  windows 
of  the  boat  are  sufficiently  large  to  make  the  vi-ew  pleasant 
from  them  ;  and  as  you  ride  along  through  the  most  rich 
and  delightful  country  whose  banks  touch  the  sides  of  the 
boat,  you  almost  fancy  yourself  in  fairy  land. 

But  comparatively  few  of  those  who  used  the 
canals  were  able  to  travel  for  pleasure.  Most  of 
them  had  serious  business  before  them ;  for  tens 
of  thousands  this  business  was  the  carving  of  a 
home  from  the  Western  wilderness,  to  which  they 
were  traveling  at  "  a  mile  and  a  half  an  hour  for 
a  cent  and  a  half  a  mile." 

Sources.  NOBLE  E.  WHITFORD,  C.  E.  History  of  the  Canals  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  (Printed  as  a  supplement  to  the  State  Engineers' 
Report  of  1905.) 

DAVID  L.  BUCKMAN.  Tow-path  and  Packet  Days.  (Unpublished 
manuscript.) 


The  vision  of  the  West  that  must  be  built  up  was  constantly  be 
fore  the  eyes  of  far-seeing  statesmen.  Realizing  that  something 
more  than  canals  would  be  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  set 
tlers  who  sought  the  new  country,  they  made  the  daring  plan  of  a 
highway  a  thousand  miles  long. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  GREAT  NATIONAL   ROAD 

Many  American  young  people  have  never  heard 
of  the  old  '  National  Road.  In  fact,  many  of  the 
older  generation  have  forgotten  this  wonderful 
engineering  triumph  of  the  early  years  of  the  last 
century.  In  this  age  of  railroads,  trolley  lines,  tel 
egraphs,  and  telephones,  we  sometimes  think  that 
there  were  no  really  great  works  during  the  days 
of  our  grandfathers,  and  earlier. 

But  the  traveler  in  Indiana,  Ohio,  West  Virginia, 
or  Pennsylvania,  who  passes  over  one  of  the  massive 
bridges  or  along  the  still  solid  bed  of  the  National 
Road,  must  change  his  mind.  Interest  leading  to 
inquiry,  he  will  learn  that  he  has  seen  a  section 
of  "  the  longest  straight  road  ever  built  in  the 
world,"  a  road  which  "for  seven  hundred  miles 
marks  the  course  of  the  Star  of  Empire  in  its 
advance"  from  the  East  to  Indiana. 

161 


1 62      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Archer  Butler  Hulbert  says  of  the  road: 

When  the  West  was  in  its  teens  and  began  suddenly 
outstripping  itself,  to  the  marvel  of  the  world,  one  of  the 
momentous  factors  in  its  progress  was  the  building  of  a 
great  road  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Mississippi,  by  the 
United  States  government.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
important  steps  in  that  movement  of  national  expansion 
which  followed  the  conquest  of  the  West.  It  is  probably 
impossible  for  us  to  realize  fully  what  it  meant  to  this 
West  when  that  vanguard  of  surveyors  came  along  the 
western  slope  of  the  Alleghenies,  hewing  a  thoroughfare 
which  should,  in  one  generation,  bind  distant  and  half- 
acquainted  States  together  in  bonds  of  common  interest, 
sympathy  and  ambition.  Until  that  day  travelers  spoke  of 
"going  into"  and  "coming  out  of"  the  West  as  though 
it  were  the  Mammoth  Cave.  Such  were  the  difficulties  of 
travel  that  it  was  commonly  said,  despite  the  dangers  of 
life  in  the  unconquered  land,  if  pioneers  could  live  to  get 
into  the  West,  nothing  could,  thereafter,  daunt  them.  The 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  West  were  impossible  until 
the  dawning  of  such  convictions  as  those  which  made  the 
National  Road  a  reality. 

The  road  was  called  into  being  by  the  neces 
sities  of  hardy  settlers  who  had  pushed  into  the 
Ohio  country.  In  1802  Congress  passed  the  en 
abling  act  by  which,  a  little  later,  Ohio  entered 
the  Union.  A  provision  of  this  act  was  that  five 
per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  pub 
lic  lands  within  the  state  should  be  devoted  to 


THE  GREAT  NATIONAL  ROAD 


163 


building  public  roads,  under  the  authority  of  Con 
gress.  In  1806  Albert  Gallatin,  who  conceived  the 
National  Road,  succeeded  in  having  commissioners 
appointed  by  President  Jefferson  to  report  on  the 


MAIL  COACH,  WASHINGTON  TO  COLUMBUS 

feasibility  of  the  project.  Almost  immediately  it 
was  determined  to  begin  work.  Cumberland,  Mary 
land,  was  fixed  as  the  starting  point.  Thence  the 
road  was  to  run  to  Uniontown  and  Washington, 
Pennsylvania.  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and  Steu- 
benville,  Ohio,  were  eager  claimants  for  the  crossing 


1 64      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

of  the  Ohio  River.  Through  the  influence  of  Henry 
Clay,  Wheeling  won  in  the  contest,  and  a  statue, 
erected  to  his  memory  in  gratitude  for  this  serv 
ice,  stands  to-day  by  the  side  of  the  road  in  Elm 
Grove,  five  miles  from  Wheeling. 

The  first  contracts,  for  ten  miles  leading  out  of 
Cumberland,  were  signed  in  1811.  Six  years  later 
Uniontown  was  reached.  The  first  mail  coaches 
ran  through  from  Washington  to  Wheeling  in 
1818.  The  construction  was  at  first  somewhat 
flimsy,  but  later  the  entire  road  was  built  of  the 
best  macadam  and  was  then  handed  over  to  the 
states  through  which  it  passed.  Toll  gates  were 
set  up,  and  the  income  was  used  for  repairs. 

In  1820  Congress  appropriated  $20,000  for  the 
survey  from  Wheeling  to  the  Mississippi  River. 
In  1825  the  first  appropriation  for  road  building 
in  this  section  was  made.  In  1833  Columbus, 
Ohio,  was  reached.  Indianapolis  soon  after  became 
the  center  of  operations.  The  original  intention 
to  build  to  the  Mississippi  River  was  modified 
upon  the  introduction  of  railroads.  For  a  time 
Congress  debated  whether  it  would  not  be  wise  to 
make  the  last  section  of  the  great  work  a  railroad 
rather  than  a  turnpike.  Final  decision,  however, 
was  against  the  change.  But  years  had  passed, 
there  was  not  so  much  necessity  for  a  road,  and 


THE  GREAT  NATIONAL  ROAD 


165 


the  grading  of  the  bed  was  the  only  work  done 
in  Illinois.  The  grading  was  completed  as  far  as 
Vandalia,  at  that  time  the  capital,  for,  according 
to  law,  the  road  was  to  pass  through  the  capitals 
of  all  the  states  touched  west  of  the  Ohio  River. 


ONE  OF  THE  MASSIVE  BRIDGES 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 

The  final  appropriation  was  made  in  1844,  on 
account  of  a  survey  to  Jefferson  City,  Missouri. 
The  total  amount  expended  was  nearly  $7,000,000, 
an  average  of  $10,000  per  mile. 

The  road  never  paid  expenses.  The  receipts  for 
many  years  were  large,  but  the  expenses  were  still 
larger.  In  forty-seven  years  Ohio  collected  nearly 
a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars  in  tolls.  The  yearly 


1 66      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

expense  of  repairs  was  nearly  one  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars,  while  the  greatest  amount  collected 
in  any  one  year  was  $62,496.  As  early  as  1832 
the  governor  of  Ohio  was  authorized  to  borrow 
money  to  repair  the  road  in  that  state. 

But  this  financial  failure  was  not  a  disappoint 
ment.  It  was  not  the  idea  of  the  statesmen  of  the 
early  nineteenth  century  to  build  a  money-making 
highway.  Their  aim  was  to  help  the  West.  In 
this  they  succeeded.  During  the  generation  when 
the  road  was  the  only  means  of  transportation  for 
immigrants,  the  population  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Illinois  increased  from  783,635  to  3,620,314.  This 
increase  was  many  times  as  rapid  as  that  of  other 
states  during  the  same  period. 

Those  were  the  days  when  the  stagecoach  was 
in  its  glory.  There  were  many  lines  in  operation 
over  all  divisions  of  the  turnpike.  Some  of  the 
earlier  coaches  were  quite  primitive,  but  improve 
ments  were  rapidly  made,  and  rival  lines  vied  with 
each  other  in  providing  the  best  equipment.  The 
Ohio  State  Journal  of  August  12,  1837,  gave  the 
following  description  of  "A  Splendid  Coach": 

We  have  looked  at  a  Coach  now  finishing  off  in  the  shop 
of  Messrs.  Evans  and  Pinney,  for  the  Ohio  Stage  Company, 
and  intended  we  believe  for  the  inspection  of  the  Postmaster 
General,  who  some  time  since  offered  premiums  for  models  of 


THE  GREAT  NATIONAL  ROAD  167 

the  most  approved  construction,  which  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  perfect  and  splendid  specimens  of  workmanship  in  this 
line  that  we  have  ever  beheld,  and  would  be  a  credit  to  any 
Coach  Manufactory  in  the  United  States.  It  is  aimed,  in 
the  construction,  to  secure  the  mail  in  the  safest  manner 
possible,  under  lock  and  key,  and  to  accommodate  three  out 
side  passengers,  under  a  comfortable  and  complete  protec 
tion  from  the  weather.  It  is  worth  going  to  see. 

Ten  miles  an  hour  was  the  recognized  rate  of 
travel.  On  special  occasions  much  greater  speed 
was  made.  In  1837  Van  Buren's  message  was 
carried  eighty-seven  miles  in  two  hundred  and 
twenty-six  minutes.  In  the  same  year  regular  mails 
were  carried  from  Washington  to  Wheeling  in 
thirty  hours;  to  Indianapolis  in  sixty-five  hours; 
to  St.  Louis  in  ninety-four  hours. 

But  the  railroads  came,  and  the  fortunes  of  the 
road  declined.  It  had  served  its  purpose.  To-day 
some  sections  are  neglected,  owing  to  the  care 
lessness  and  indifference  of  county  officials.  Still 
other  sections  are  as  solid  and  substantial  as  ever. 
In  West  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  and  parts  of 
Ohio  "  the  pike  "  is  still  the  pride  of  the  people. 

There  are  many  relics  of  its  greatness.  Mile 
stones,  iron  in  the  East,  stone  in  Ohio,  are  still 
standing.  Old  taverns  are  here  and  there  along  the 
way.  What  tales  they  might  tell  of  the  gay  parties 


1 68      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

which  ate  and  slept  within  their  walls !  Team 
sters'  lodging  houses  are  falling  into  decay.  But 
the  massive  stone  arch  bridges  stand,  and  will  stand 
for  many  years.  "  It  is  doubtful  if  there  are  on  the 
continent  such  monumental  relics  of  the  old  stone 
bridge  builder's  art,"  one  engineer  says.  During 
a  flood  in  West  Virginia,  some  years  ago,  a  great 
iron  railroad  bridge  was  carried  from  its  founda 
tions,  and  swept  downstream  to  the  old  S-bridge 
near  Wheeling.  The  stone  bridge  stood  the  test 
of  the  great  impact.  The  iron  beams  were  bent 
and  twisted,  and  finally  were  swept  through  the 
arches  and  down  the  stream. 
One  historian  says : 

Were  these  relics  all  gathered  together  —  from  Indiana, 
and  Ohio,  and  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia,  and  Maryland 
—  and  cemented  into  a  monstrous  pyramid,  the  pile  would 
not  be  inappropriate  to  preserve  the  name  and  fame  of  a 
highway  which,  as  Everett  said,  "carried  thousands  of 
population  and  millions  of  wealth  into  the  West,  and,  more 
than  any  other  material  structure  in  the  land,  served  to 
harmonize  and  strengthen,  if  not  to  save,  the  Union." 

Source.  ARCHER  BUTLER  HULBERT.  Historic  Highways,  Vol.  X, 
"  The  Cumberland  Road."  The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Company,  Cleveland, 
Ohio. 


^y^UMk^U^WA^WXAW/XW^U^ 


There  came  a  day  when  settlers  wished  to  go  far  beyond  the 
territory  opened  up  by  the  great  National  Road.   As  early  as  1846 


many  people  were  lured  to  the  Pacific  coast  by  wonderful  tales  of 
the  delights  of  that  region.  They  knew  they  would  have  to  cross  a 
trackless  wilderness  to  reach  the  land  of  their  dreams,  but  the 
thought  did  not  deter  them. 

The  story  told  by  a  survivor  of  a  famous  party  which  made  the 
overland  journey  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the  perils  braved  by  those 
who  sought  the  West. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

ACROSS  THE  PLAINS   IN  1846 
I.    THE  JOURNEY 

Before  the  days  of  railroads,  those  who  made  the 
overland  trip  to  California  suffered  untold  hard 
ships.  Thousands  perished  from  hunger  and  ex 
posure,  or  were  killed  by  the  Indians.  A  graphic 
picture  of  the  sufferings  of  these  hardy  Western 
pioneers  is  given  in  the  story  of  the  ill-fated 
Donner  party. 

The  central  figure  in  the  story  is  a  little  girl 
named  Eliza  Donner.  She  was  less  than  four  years 
old  when  her  adventures  began,  but  many  of  the 
events  were  impressed  on  her  memory  so  indel 
ibly  that  when  she  was  nearly  seventy  years  old 

she  told  them  for  the  boys  and  girls  of  to-day. 

169 


1 70      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Eliza  Donner  lived  with  her  parents  and  four 
sisters,  one  younger  and  three  older  than  herself,  on 
a  farm  near  Springfield,  Illinois.  One  day  in  the 
spring  of  1846  she  learned  that  her  father  and  her 
mother  had  decided  to  move  to  California.  Such  a 
journey  was  not  so  easy  a  matter  as  it  is  in  this 
day  of  railroads.  For  many  hundreds  of  miles  of 
the  way  there  was  not  even  a  wagon  road.  Roving 
Indians  were  everywhere.  California  was  then  a 
part  of  Mexico.  Yet  when  the  Donners  decided 
to  make  the  five  months'  journey,  seven  of  their 
neighbors  asked  permission  to  go  with  them.  In 
all,  thirty-two  persons  agreed  to  share  the  dangers 
of  the  plains. 

Eliza  was  much  interested  in  the  preparations 
for  the  journey.  She  saw  three  big  white-covered 
wagons  brought  into  the  yard,  and  watched  her 
parents  as  they  loaded  them.  In  one  wagon  they 
placed  seed  and  farming  implements  for  their  own 
use  in  California,  as  well  as  laces,  muslins,  satins, 
and  velvets  which  they  hoped  to  trade  for  land. 
The  second  wagon  held  the  supplies  of  food  and 
clothing  for  the  journey,  as  well  as  the  tents  and 
other  things  to  be  used  in  camp,  and  the  bright- 
colored  garments,  beads,  necklaces,  looking-glasses, 
and  so  forth,  with  which  unfriendly  Indians  were 
to  be  appeased.  The  third  wagon  was  to  be  the 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846 


171 


family  home  on  wheels.  Each  wagon  was  to  be 
drawn  by  three  yoke  of  sturdy  oxen.  Three  extra 
yoke  of  oxen,  five  saddle  horses,  beef  cattle,  and 
a  dog  were  to  follow  the  wagons. 

It  was  a  happy  moment  for  Eliza  and  her  sisters 
when  the  signal  was  given  to  start.    They  wondered 


PIONEERS  ON  THE  PLAINS 


why  there  were  tears  in  their  mother's  eyes  as  they 
left  the  old  home  and  passed  the  familiar  orchards 
and  the  fields  beyond. 

The  first  weeks  passed  pleasantly.  Everything 
seemed  so  strange.  By  the  time  the  journey  began 
to  be  monotonous,  other  wagons  joined  the  party, 
and  there  was  great  excitement  for  the  Donner  girls 


172      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

as  they  made  the  acquaintance  of  other  boys  and 
girls.  During  the  evening  hours  in  camp,  and  in 
the  morning  before  the  early  start,  the  young 
people  would  have  pleasant  times  together  on  the 
prairies,  though  they  were  warned  not  to  go  far 
from  camp,  because  Indians  might  be  near.  At 
noon  there  would  be  another  brief  interval  for 
play,  after  the  company  had  eaten  dinner  in  picnic 
style  on  the  grass. 

The  loneliness  of  the  days  was  frequently  re 
lieved  by  messages  from  others  who  had  traveled 
across  the  plains  before  them.  Some  of  these  mes 
sages  came  by  the  hands  of  trappers  and  traders 
who  were  on  their  way  to  the  East.  More  often 
they  were  penciled  on  the  skulls  of  animals  lying 
on  the  prairie,  or  on  the  trunks  of  trees  from 
which  a  patch  of  bark  had  been  cut.  When  neither 
trees  nor  skulls  were  near,  those  who  wished  to 
leave  a  message  would  write  a  note  and  fasten  it 
in  a  cleft  stick  driven  into  the  ground. 

Travelers  were  accustomed  to  watch  for  such 
messages.  When  they  were  uncertain  about  the 
way,  they  usually  found  something  to  guide  them. 
One  day,  however,  they  looked  in  vain,  until  some 
one  caught  sight  of  a  guideboard.  The  disappoint 
ment  of  all  can  be  imagined  when  examination 
showed  that  the  note  which  had  been  pasted  to 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  173 

the  board  had  been  torn  into  bits.  Evidently  the 
crows  had  pecked  the  paper  to  pieces.  Nobody 
knew  what  to  do  till  Mrs.  Donner  began  to  hunt 
for  pieces  of  paper  on  the  ground,  where  the  birds 
had  dropped  them.  Others  helped  her.  When  they 
had  as  many  bits  as  could  be  discovered  in  the 
tall  grass,  she  slowly  fitted  them  together  on  the 
guideboard,  as  a  child  matches  the  pieces  of  a 
picture  puzzle.  At  last  she  was  able  to  spell 
out  the  words : 

2  days  —  2  nights  —  hard  driving  —  cross  —  desert  — 
reach  water. 

The  Donner  party  was  at  this  time  in  a  beauti 
ful  valley  where  there  were  twenty  natural  wells, 
and  so  it  was  decided  to  remain  in  camp  until 
the  oxen  were  thoroughly  rested.  Then,  taking  all 
the  water  they  could  carry,  they  started  across  the 
desert.  The  trip  required  twice  the  time  the  note 
had  said.  Before  the  next  valley  was  reached,  the 
wood  of  some  of  the  wagons  shrank  till  the  vehicles 
were  useless  and  had  to  be  abandoned.  Every  one 
in  the  party  suffered  from  thirst,  and  many  of  the 
oxen  perished  from  lack  of  water. 

There  were  other  delays.  Some  of  the  notes  left 
for  their  guidance  led  them  astray.  Once  they 
were  thirty  days  in  making  a  part  of  the  journey 


174      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

that  should  have  required  but  twelve  days.  At 
another  time  the  men  made  a  road  across  eight 
miles  of  rocky  country,  only  to  find  that  they  had 
to  go  back  and  start  another  way.  These  de 
lays  made  the  food  supply  short,  and  everybody 


AT  THE  END  OF  THE  DAY 


was  hungry.  But  all  were  willing  to  bear  the 
hardships,  for  California  seemed  near,  and  when 
they  reached  the  sunny  land  there  would  be  plenty 
to  eat  and  drink. 

Then  there  was  an  accident  that  changed  all 
their  dreams.  Eliza  and  her  sister  Georgia  were 
asleep  in  the  wagon  while  their  father  walked 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  175 

beside  it  down  a  steep  hill.  Near  the  end  of  the 
incline  the  front  axle  broke,  and  the  wagon  tipped 
over,  spilling  the  contents,  the  two  girls  under 
neath.  Mr.  Donner  rushed  to  the  rescue,  and  soon 
succeeded  in  freeing  Georgia  through  the  open 
ing  at  the  back  of  the  wagon  cover.  Eliza  was 
out  of  sight.  Fearful  that  she  might  be  crushed 
or  smothered,  Mr.  Donner  worked  feverishly.  At 
last  the  girl  was  found.  Nothing  was  wrong  with 
her  but  a  bad  fright. 

The  accident  had  other  consequences,  however. 
Mr.  Donner  injured  his  hand  while  making  repairs. 
Then  so  many  hours  were  wasted  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  cross  the  summit  of  the  Sierras  before 
the  first  great  snowfall  of  the  season.  The  party 
tried  to  go  on,  but  they  were  soon  unable  to  move. 
Some  of  the  wagons,  which  were  further  along  the 
way,  managed  to  push  through ;  but  the  Donners 
and  a  few  of  their  friends,  twenty-one  in  all,  were 
at  the  mercy  of  the  storm.  The  men  and  women 
were  dismayed  at  their  situation.  The  children 
did  not  realize  their  danger  at  first,  but  the  grave 
faces  of  their  parents  and  friends  soon  made  them 
feel  that  something  was  wrong. 

They  were  stranded  in  the  snow  near  the  sum 
mit  of  the  cold  mountain.  They  had  no  shelter, 
they  had  little  food,  and  it  might  be  many  weeks 


176      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

before  they  could  push  on  to  the  valley.  Their 
only  hope  was  that  some  of  the  party  who  already 
had  reached  the  valley  would  send  assistance  to 
them  in  season. 

II.    STARVING  IN  THE  SNOW 

Eliza  Donner  never  forgot  that  first  day  and 
night  in  the  snow  in  the  lonely  mountain  valley. 
The  day  was  spent  by  the  men  in  felling  and 
trimming  trees.  A  beginning  had  been  made  on  a 
log  cabin,  when  darkness  put  a  stop  to  the  work. 
The  moon  was  shining  when  the  weary  pilgrims 
went  to  bed,  but  during  the  night  there  was  a 
heavy  snowstorm. 

The  snowfall  made  necessary  a  change  of  plans. 
Instead  of  finishing  the  log  cabin,  the  tent  was 
pitched  on  a  cleared  space,  under  a  pine  tree,  and 
an  Indian  guide  showed  the  men  how  to  enlarge 
this  shelter  by  a  rude  hut  of  poles  and  boughs. 
On  the  framework  were  laid  pieces  of  cloth,  old 
quilts,  and  buffalo  robes,  as  well  as  pine  boughs. 
In  a  hollow  scraped  out  under  the  tree  a  fire 
was  built. 

While  the  work  was  going  on  there  was  no  shel 
ter  for  Eliza  and  Georgia.  "  Mother  tucked  a  buf 
falo  robe  around  us,"  Eliza  wrote,  "  saying, '  Sit  here 
until  we  have  a  better  place  for  you.'  There  we 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN  1846 


177 


sat  snug  and  dry,  chatting  and  twisting  our  heads 
about,  watching  the  hurrying,  anxious  workers." 

Before  the  shelter  was  finished  the  snow  was 
falling  once  more,  gathering  in  a  ridge  beside  the 
children  on  the  log,  and  nestling  in  piles  under 
the  buffalo  robe.  They  were  glad  of  the  call  to 


A  REST  BY  THE  WAY 


enter  the  hut.  There,  after  warming  themselves 
at  the  fire  under  the  tree,  and  eating  their  meager 
supper,  they  crept  into  the  bed,  which  was  made 
of  boughs  laid  on  posts. 

For  eight  days  the  snowfall  continued.  Mr.  Don- 
ner  kept  up  his  courage,  in  spite  of  his  crippled 
hand,  leading  in  the  work  of  gathering  fuel,  and 
doing  all  he  could  to  make  others  hopeful.  Many 


178      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

of  the  cattle  froze  to  death.  The  places  where 
their  bodies  lay  were  marked,  that  they  might  be 
found  later,  as  they  were  required  for  food.  But 
the  snow  covered  them  out  of  sight,  and  few 
could  be  found.  The  men  would  prod  in  the 
snow  with  long  stakes,  but  they  seldom  discov 
ered  what  they  sought. 

Food  became  so  scarce  that  "  the  little  field 
mice  that  had  crept  into  the  camp  were  caught 
and  then  used  to  ease  the  pangs  of  hunger.  Pieces 
of  beef  hide  were  cut  into  strips,  singed,  scraped, 
boiled  to  the  consistency  of  glue  and  swallowed 
with  an  effort.  Marrowless  bones  that  already 
had  been  boiled  and  scraped  were  now  burned 
and  eaten,  even  the  bark  and  twigs  of  pine  were 
chewed  in  the  vain  effort  to  soothe  the  gnawings 
which  made  one  cry  for  bread  and  meat." 

The  wanderers  were  not  only  hungry,  they  were 
cold.  :'  We  little  ones  were  kept  in  bed,"  Eliza 
says.  "  My  place  was  always  in  the  middle,  where 
Frances  and  Georgia,  snuggling  up  close,  gave 
me  of  their  warmth." 

So  the  days  dragged  along  for  more  than  two 
months.  "  By  the  middle  of  January  the  snow 
measured  twelve  and  fourteen  feet  in  depth.  Noth 
ing  could  be  seen  of  our  abode  except  the  coils 
of  smoke  that  found  their  way  up  through  the 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  179 

opening.  There  was  a  dearth  of  water.  The  creek 
was  frozen  over  and  covered  with  snow.  Icicles 
hung  from  the  branches  of  every  tree.  The  stock 
of  pine  cones  that  had  been  gathered  for  light  was 
almost  consumed.  Wood  was  so  scarce  that  we 
could  not  have  fire  enough  to  cook  our  strips 
of  rawhide,  and  Georgia  heard  mother  say  that 
we  children  had  not  had  a  dry  garment  on  for 
more  than  a  week,  and  that  she  did  not  know 
what  to  do  about  it.  Then,  like  a  smile  from 
God,  came  another  sunny  day  which  not  only 
warmed  and  dried  us  thoroughly,  but  furnished 
a  supply  of  water  from  dripping  snow  banks." 

Every  day  they  looked  anxiously  for  the  com 
ing  of  relief  in  response  to  the  pleas  of  a  number 
who  had  pushed  on  in  the  face  of  almost  certain 
death.  The  Indian  guide  would  climb  to  the  top 
of  a  tall  pine  tree  and  look  intently  for  a  moving 
speck  in  the  distance.  At  last,  about  the  twentieth 
of  February,  he  saw  somebody  coming.  Soon  seven 
men  were  in  the  camp. 

These  men  told  how  they  had  started  with  a  num 
ber  of  others,  and  how  they  had  been  compelled  to 
leave  by  the  way  most  of  the  supplies  they  carried 
with  them.  Small  quantities  of  flour  were  carefully 
measured  out,  together  with  a  little  jerked  beef  and 
two  small  biscuits  for  each  of  the  famishing  people. 


180      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

When  the  rescuers  started  back  to  the  valley, 
they  took  with  them  four  of  the  Dormer  party, 
including  two  of  Eliza's  sisters.  Those  who  re 
mained  were  told  to  look  for  the  coming  of  other 
rescuers  who  were  on  the  way. 

Again  began  the  days  of  weary  waiting.  Food 
was  scarcer  than  ever.  Mr.  Donner's  hand  grew 
worse  and  he  became  weaker.  Mrs.  Donner  did  her 
best  to  keep  up  the  courage  of  the  children.  Eliza 
says,  "  Often  while  knitting  or  sewing  she  held  us 
spellbound  with  wondrous  tales  of  'Joseph  in  Egypt,' 
or  '  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den '  or  *  Elijah  healing  the 
widow's  son,'  and  of  the  tender,  loving  Master  who 
took  children  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them." 

Eliza  wrote  thus  of  the  failing  food  supply: 

The  last  food  which  I  remember  seeing  in  our  camp 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Second  Relief  was  a  thin  mold  of 
tallow  which  mother  had  tried  out  of  the  trimmings  of  the 
jerked  beef  brought  by  the  First  Relief.  She  had  let  it 
harden  in  a  pan,  and  after  all  other  rations  had  given  out, 
she  cut  daily  from  it  three  small  white  squares  for  each  of 
us,  and  we  nibbled  off  the  four  corners  very  slowly  and  then 
around  and  around  the  edges  of  the  precious  pieces  until 
they  became  too  small  for  us  to  hold  between  our  fingers. 

Ten  days  passed.  Then  came  the  second  relief 
party.  There  were  only  ten  men  in  the  party, 
and  they,  too,  had  left  on  the  way  most  of  the 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  181 

provisions  with  which  they  had  started,  so  that  these 
might  be  eaten  on  the  way  back.  After  giving  the 
survivors  in  camp  a  small  supply  of  food,  they  were 
ready  to  return  to  the  valley.  Mr.  Donner  was  so 
weak  from  his  wound  that  he  was  unable  to  go  with 
them.  He  begged  Mrs.  Donner  to  leave  him  with 
the  children.  She  would  not  desert  him,  but  offered 
three  of  the  men  five  hundred  dollars  if  they  would 
take  Eliza  and  her  little  sisters  to  a  place  of  safety. 
When  they  agreed,  she  gave  them  a  parcel  con 
taining  a  few  keepsakes,  with  a  little  clothing  that 
might  prove  useful  to  the  girls  in  later  years. 
Then  she  made  what  preparation  she  could  for 
their  future.  When  she  had  put  on  their  cloaks 
and  hoods,  she  said  to  them,  "  I  may  never  see 
you  again,  but  God  will  take  care  of  you." 
In  her  account  of  that  sad  day  Eliza  wrote: 

Frances  was  six  years  and  eight  months  old  and  could 
trudge  along  quite  bravely,  but  Georgia,  who  was  little  more 
than  five,  and  I,  lacking  a  week  of  four  years,  could  not  do 
well  on  the  heavy  trail,  and  soon  we  were  taken  up  and 
carried.  After  traveling  some  distance  the  men  left  us  sit 
ting  on  a  blanket  upon  the  snow,  and  went  ahead  a  short 
distance,  when  they  stopped  and  talked  earnestly.  We 
watched  them,  trembling  lest  they  leave  us  there  to  freeze. 
Then  Frances  said  :  "  Don't  feel  afraid.  If  they  go  off  and 
leave  us  I  can  lead  you  back  to  mother  by  our  footprints  on 
the  snow." 


1 82      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

Evidently  the  men  were  weary  of  their  charges ; 
they  seemed  to  fear  that  they  could  not  get  to 
the  valley  if  they  were  burdened  with  the  little 
ones.  But  they  were  not  cruel  enough  to  leave 
them  in  the  snow;  they  carried  them  to  a  cabin 
not  far  away  where  others  of  the  snowbound  party 
were  waiting  for  deliverance. 

It  was  dark  when  the  children  entered  the  poor 
shelter.  There  was  no  welcome  for  them,  but  they 
were  told  to  lie  on  a  bed  of  branches  on  the  ground. 
For  a  long  time  they  could  not  go  to  sleep ;  other 
children  in  the  cabin  made  their  presence  known 
by  the  pitiful  plea,  often  repeated :  "  Give  me  some 
bread.  Oh,  give  me  some  meat !  " 

Eliza  and  her  sisters  huddled  close  on  their  bed 
of  branches,  their  arms  tightly  clasped  around  each 
other,  and  so,  at  last,  they  fell  asleep. 

III.   FINDING  A  HOME 

Days  passed  in  the  dark  cabin.  The  snow  fell 
drearily.  Hunger  was  a  constant  guest.  One  day 
a  little  girl  from  a  neighboring  hut  came  in,  bear 
ing  a  number  of  biscuits  which  had  been  baked 
in  the  ashes.  There  was  one  for  everybody  in  the 
cabin.  "  Few  can  know  how  delicious  those  bis 
cuits  tasted,  and  how  carefully  we  caught  each 
dropping  crumb,"  Eliza  wrote  of  the  event. 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  183 

Another  day  there  was  a  cry  from  a  boy  who 
stood  on  the  snow  above  the  cabin  to  see  if  any 
help  were  coming: 

I  see  —  a  woman  —  on  snowshoes  —  coming  from  the 
camp  !  She  's  a  little  woman  —  like  Mrs.  Donner.  She  is 
now  looking  this  way  —  and  may  pass ! 

Mrs.  Donner  heard  the  call  of  the  frantic  boy, 
and  in  a  few  moments  she  was  with  her  children. 
She  had  heard  that  they  were  in  the  cabin,  and 
had  pushed  her  way  over  the  snow.  She  told  the 
children  that  there  was  still  a  half  biscuit  left  from 
the  supplies  brought  by  the  second  relief  party. 
Eliza  tells  the  thoughts  that  biscuit  brought  to 
her  mind: 

How  big  that  half  biscuit  seemed  to  me !  I  wondered 
why  she  had  not  brought  at  least  part  of  it  to  us.  I  could 
see  that  broken  half  biscuit,  with  its  ragged  edges,  and  knew 
that  if  I  had  a  piece,  I  would  nibble  off  the  rough  points 
first.  The  longer  I  waited  the  more  I  wanted  it.  Finally  I 
slipped  my  arms  around  my  mother's  neck,  drew  her 
face  close  to  mine  and  whispered,  "  What  are  you  going  to 
do  with  that  half  biscuit  you  saved  ?  "  When  Mrs.  Donner 
answered,  "I  am  keeping  it  for  your  sick  father,"  Eliza 
was  satisfied. 

At  last  the  third  relief  party  came.  Mrs.  Don 
ner  asked  the  leader  of  the  little  company  if  he 
would  take  her  children  to  safety.  He  said  he 


1 84      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

would  either  save  them  or  die  with  them  on  the 
trail.  Once  more  the  mother  said  good-by  to  them 
and  went  back  to  the  husband  who  was  so  soon 
to  close  his  eyes  in  the  sleep  that  would  make 
him  forget  pain  and  hunger.  She  would  stay  with 
him  to  the  end.  She  did  as  she  said  she  would; 
and  a  little  later  she  too  fell  asleep  in  the  snow 
and  woke  where  there  is  no  more  hunger  and  no 
more  cold. 

The  children  were  again  dressed  to  start  on  their 
journey  over  the  snow.  Eliza  has  described  their 
appearance : 

Georgia  and  I  were  clad  in  quilted  petticoats,  linsey 
dresses,  woolen  stockings  and  well-worn  shoes.  Our  cloaks 
were  of  a  twilled  material,  garnet,  with  a  white  thread  inter 
woven,  and  we  had  knitted  hoods  to  match.  Frances's  cloth 
ing  was  as  warm  ;  instead  of  a  cloak,  however,  she  wore  a 
shawl,  and  her  hood  was  blue.  Her  shoes  had  been  eaten 
by  our  starving  dog  before  he  disappeared,  and  as  all  others 
were  buried  out  of  reach,  mother  had  substituted  a  pair  of 
her  own  in  their  stead. 

The  way  was  rough.  Snowdrifts  were  on  every 
side.  Icy  ridges  were  to  be  crossed,  where  to  slip 
or  fall  might  mean  death  in  the  yawning  depth 
below.  The  men  were  unable  to  carry  the  chil 
dren  all  the  time,  and  it  was  necessary  for  them 
to  struggle  on  as  best  they  could.  Eliza  stumbled  so 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS   IN   1846 


185 


much  that  one  of  the  men  put  her  in  his  blanket 
on  his  back  and  carried  her  as  the  Indian  mother 
carries  her  child. 

After  going  some  distance  a  package  was  picked 
up.    This  was  opened  that  evening  beside  the  camp 


'•WESTWARD  THE  COURSE  OF  EMPIRE  TAKES  ITS  WAY" 
From  the  painting  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington 

fire.  It  was  found  to  contain  the  keepsakes  and 
clothing  delivered  with  the  children  to  the  men 
of  the  second  relief  party,  who  later  deserted  them. 
As  the  clothing  of  the  little  girls  was  the  worse 
for  wear,  it  was  decided  to  dress  them  in  the  fresh 


i86      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

underwear  and  the  silk  dresses  in  the  package. 
Eliza's  account  of  the  fitting  of  the  dresses  to  the 
little  owners  is  worth  reading: 

Mr.  Thompson  pulled  out  the  same  sharp  pocketknife, 
coarse  black  thread,  and  big-eyed  needle,  which  he  had 
used  the  previous  evening,  while  making  Frances  a  pair  of 
moccasins  out  of  his  own  gauntlet  gloves.  With  the  help  of 
Mr.  Eddy,  he  then  ripped  out  the  sleeves,  cut  the  waists  off 
about  an  inch  above  the  skirt  gathers,  cut  slits  in  the  skirts 
for  armholes,  and  tacked  in  the  sleeves.  Then,  with  mother's 
wish  in  mind,  they  put  the  dove-colored  silk  on  Frances,  the 
light-brown  on  Georgia  and  the  dark  coffee-brown  on  me. 
Plaits  and  laps  in  the  skirt  bands  were  necessary  to  fit  them 
to  our  necks.  Strings  were  tied  around  our  waists,  and  the 
skirts  tacked  up  until  they  were  walking  length.  These 
ample  robes  served  for  cloaks  as  well  as  dresses,  for  we 
could  easily  draw  our  hands  back  through  the  sleeves  and 
keep  our  arms  warm  beneath  the  folds.  Thus  comfortably 
clad,  we  began  another  day's  journey. 

Days  passed  before  the  Sacramento  Valley  was 
reached.  A  woman  they  saw  at  the  first  house 
in  the  valley  was  kind  to  Eliza  till  she  saw  the 
silk  dress  she  wore.  Then  her  cupidity  got  the 
better  of  her  kindness.  She  took  the  dress,  ex 
changing  it  for  an  outgrown  garment  belonging 
to  her  own  little  girl,  which  was  far  too  small  for 
Eliza.  To  a  companion  she  whispered,  "  This  will 
make  two  for  my  little  girl." 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS  IN   1846  187 

At  the  next  house  real  kindness  was  shown 
the  party.  The  woman  who  lived  there  gave  the 
children  bread  and  milk  for  supper.  Then,  having 
no  bed  for  them,  she  loosened  one  corner  of  the 
rag  carpet  and  put  fresh  straw  on  the  floor.  On 
this  she  placed  the  weary  children.  Then  the 
carpet  was  tucked  securely  about  them  in  place 
of  quilts. 

A  little  further  on  the  party  came  to  Sutter's 
Fort,  where  the  first  discovery  of  gold  was  soon 
afterwards  made.  There  they  found  many  kind 
people,  most  of  them  women  and  children ;  the 
men  were  away  with  Fremont,  serving  in  the  Mex 
ican  War.  On  account  of  their  absence  food  was 
scarce,  but  the  children  shared  with  the  boys  and 
girls  at  the  fort.  One  of  these  boys  was  especially 
kind  to  Eliza.  He  knew  by  sad  experience  what 
it  meant  to  be  hungry,  so  he  came  to  her  one 
day  and  whispered : 

See  here,  little  gal,  you  run  get  that  little  tin  cup  of 
yourn,  and  when  you  see  me  come  out  of  Mrs.  Wimmer's 
house  with  the  milk  pail  on  my  arm,  you  go  round  yonder 
to  the  tother  side  of  the  cow  pen,  where  you'll  find  a  hole 
big  enough  to  put  the  cup  through.  Then  you  can  watch 
me  milk  it  full  of  the  nicest  milk  you  ever  tasted.  You 
needn't  say  nothing  to  nobody  about  it.  I  gave  your  little 
sister  some  last  time,  and  I  want  to  do  the  same  for  you. 
I  hain't  got  no  mother  neither,  and  I  know  how  it  is. 


i88      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  Indians  too  were  good  to  the  children.  Eliza 
writes  her  memories  of  them : 

They  gave  us  shreds  of  smoked  fish  and  dried  acorns  to 
eat ;  lowered  from  their  backs  the  queer  little  baby  beds, 
called  "bickooses,"  and  made  the  chubby  faces  in  them 
laugh  for  our  amusement.  They  also  let  us  pet  the  dogs 
that  perked  up  their  ears  and  wagged  their  tails  as  our  own 
Uno  used  to  do  when  he  wanted  to  frolic.  Sometimes  they 
stroked  our  hair  and  rubbed  the  locks  between  their  fingers, 
then  felt  their  own  as  if  to  note  the  difference. 

One  evening  in  June  the  hungry  Eliza  and  her 
sisters  wandered  into  a  shop  where  they  saw  a 
white-haired  old  man  cutting  meat  for  customers. 
After  all  of  these  were  gone,  Eliza,  remembering 
how  she  had  been  told  to  address  old  people,  said : 

"  Grandfather,  please  give  us  a  piece  of  meat." 

Pleased  at  the  greeting,  he  cut  for  each  a  piece 
of  liver,  which  they  later  toasted  over  the  coals, 
impaling  the  slices  on  sharp  sticks.  Eliza's  piece 
fell  in  the  ashes,  but  she  was  so  hungry  she  did 
not  object  to  the  taste. 

That  night  the  old  man  went  home  and  said 
to  his  wife,  a  good  German  woman : 

"  Mary,  at  the  fort  are  three  hungry  little  orphan 
girls.  Take  something  to  them  as  soon  as  you 
can.  One  child  is  fair,  two  are  dark." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  children  saw  a  stout 


ACROSS  THE  PLAINS   IN   1846  189 

old  woman  coming  toward  them.    Eliza  describes 
how  she  looked  : 

On  one  arm  she  carried  a  basket,  and  from  the  hand 
of  the  other  hung  a  small,  covered,  tin  pail.  Her  apron 
was  almost  as  long  as  her  dress  skirt,  which  reached  below 
her  ankles,  yet  was  short  enough  to  show  brown  stockings 
above  her  low  shoes.  A  brown,  quilted  hood  of  the  same 
shade  and  material  as  her  dress  and  apron  concealed  all 
but  the  white  lace  frill  of  a  "  grandma  cap,"  which  fastened 
under  her  chin  with  a  bow.  Her  dark  hair  drawn  down 
plain  to  each  temple  was  coiled  there  into  tiny  wheels,  and 
a  brass  pin  stuck  through  crosswise  to  hold  each  coil  in 
place.  Her  bright,  speaking  eyes,  more  brown  than  gray, 
gave  charm  to  a  face  which  might  have  been  pretty  had 
disease  not  marred  it  in  youth. 

When  she  was  near,  the  children  greeted  her, 
"  Good  morning,  grandmother !  " 

The  old  woman  never  had  had  a  child,  and  the 
greeting  from  childish  lips  conquered  her.  She 
put  down  her  basket,  gave  them  eggs,  bread,  butter, 
cheese,  and  milk.  Then  she  took  Eliza  home  with 
her  and  treated  the  child  as  if  she  hacl  been  her 
own  daughter.  Eliza  was  overjoyed  when  she  found 
at  the  home  of  the  German  woman  the  old  man 
who  had  given  the  slices  of  liver  to  her  and  her 
sisters.  She  climbed  on  his  knee,  and  told  him 
how  she  had  cooked  the  liver,  and  how  good  it 
tasted.  He  wiped  his  eyes  and  said : 


190      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

"Mine  child,  when  you  little  ones  thanked  me 
for  that  liver,  it  made  me  not  so  much  your  friend 
as  when  you  called  me  grandfather." 

So  Eliza  found  her  new  home.  For  years  she 
lived  with  the  kind  German  family.  Then  she 
went  to  Sacramento  to  school.  In  1861  she  mar 
ried,  and  on  her  wedding  journey  went  to  see  the 
kind  people  who  had  given  her  a  home  for  so  many 
years.  For  many  years  she  had  a  beautiful  home 
in  San  Jose,  California,  where  boys  and  girls  de 
lighted  to  go  to  see  the  pleasant-faced  lady  who 
told  such  interesting  stories  of  the  early  days  in 
California. 

Source.    ELIZA  P.  DONNER  HOUGHTON.    The  Expedition  of  the 
Donner  Party  and  its  Tragic  Fate.    A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  Chicago. 


Only  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  the  sad  experience  of  the 
Donner  party  in  the  mountains,  gold  was  discovered.  Then  there 
was  a  rush  to  carry  the  first  of  the  precious  metal  to  the  East.  No 
slow  journey  by  emigrant  wagon  would  satisfy  the  bearers.  Two 
men  chose  their  routes,  and  ran  a  race  to  Washington. 


>^^ 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  FIRST  BEARER  OF  CALIFORNIA  GOLD 

The  story  is  familiar  of  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  1848,  at  Sutter's  mill  race  in  California.  But 
the  story  of  how  the  first  gold  was  brought  to 
the  East  was  never  told  in  detail  till  the  publication 
of  the  life  of  General  Edward  Fitzgerald  Beale. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  General  Beale  was 
a  midshipman  on  the  United  States  Steamship 
Ohio.  Commander  Jones  selected  him  to  carry 
to  Washington  word  of  the  discovery,  and  urged 
him  to  arrive  ahead  of  an  officer  of  the  army  who 
was  leaving  on  the  same  errand  at  about  the 
same  time. 

The  young  midshipman  wished  to  take  with 
him  a  sample  of  the  gold,  but  as  the  navy  regu 
lations  gave  no  authority  for  the  purchase,  he  had 
to  secure  it  on  his  own  account.  It  is  said  that 

he  had  in  his  possession  a  large  quantity  of  quinine 

191 


192      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

which  at  the  time  was  quoted  in  San  Francisco 
at  a  higher  price  than  gold.  One  of  the  earliest 
visitors  to  the  mill  race  was  persuaded  to  exchange 
a  substantial  quantity  of  gold  for  one  hundred 
grains  of  quinine. 

To  distance  his  army  competitor,  who  planned 
to  go  by  way  of  Panama,  Midshipman  Beale  de 
cided  to  cross  Mexico  from  ocean  to  ocean.  In 
this  way  he  won  the  race  by  two  months,  as  the 
army  messenger  was  carried  to  Peru  and  had  to 
make  his  way  back  to  Panama. 

For  the  rough  journey  across  Mexico,  Beale  wore 
a  sombrero,  a  red  flannel  shirt,  leather  breeches, 
and  boots.  He  carried  four  six-barreled  revolvers, 
and  a  knife.  As  he  was  much  sunburned  and 
spoke  Spanish  well,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  pass 
unobserved. 

Bands  of  ladrones  infested  the  highways.  His 
biographer  says  that  he  was  held  up  once  by  three 
robbers,  "who,  however,  made  off  when  confronted 
with  great  resolution  and  the  four  American  re 
volvers,  and  he  became  so  thoroughly  convinced 
of  the  uncertainties  and  perils  of  his  undertaking 
that  he  assumed  the  responsibility  of  opening  his 
dispatches  and  making  copies  of  them,  which  he 
sent  by  mail  to  the  American  Minister  at  Mexico 
City.  Then  he  immediately  pushed  on,  traveling 


FIRST  BEARER  OF  CALIFORNIA  GOLD      193 

night  and  day,  and  taking  no  rest  but  by  throw 
ing  himself  on  the  ground  at  each  post  while  the 
saddles  were  being  changed  to  fresh  horses.  Once 
a  band,  coming  out  of  the  woods,  just  at  nightfall, 
chased  him  for  several  hours,  but  he  finally  out 
rode  them,  though  not  before  the  foremost  had 


SAN  FRANCISCO  IN  1849 


shot  at  him  a  number  of  times  with  their  carbines. 
At  the  next  post  after  this  adventure  he  heard 
of  a  party  of  eleven  travelers,  just  ahead  of  him, 
being  attacked  by  a  large  party  and  murdered  to 
a  man.  He  found  their  blood  still  staining  the 
muddy  ground." 

It  was  the  rainy  season,  and  the  miserable  roads 
were  almost  impassable.    "  Furious  storm  succeeded 


194      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

furious  storm,  the  water  courses  swelled  into  raging 
torrents,  which  could  only  be  crossed  by  swim 
ming.  The  roads  were  blocked  by  uprooted  trees 
and  avalanches  of  stones  and  mud,  and  at  night 
Beale  found  his  way  chiefly  by  the  almost  inces 
sant  flashes  of  lightning.  When  in  the  eighth 
day  he  arrived  at  Mexico"  City,  he  was  literally 
cased  in  mud." 

In  spite  of  delays  his  progress  was  rapid.  The 
ninety  leagues  between  Mexico  City  and  Vera  Cruz 
he  covered  in  sixty  hours,  although  on  the  way  he 
was  held  up  once  more  by  brigands,  from  whom 
he  escaped  by  a  daring  dash  down  an  almost 
precipitous  mountain  side.  At  Vera  Cruz  he  slept 
under  a  roof  for  the  first  time,  with  the  exception 
of  the  nights  spent  in  Mexico  City. 

Although  his  guide  had  to  be  confined  as  a 
madman,  having  lost  his  mind  during  the  hard 
ships  experienced,  Beale  was  able  to  continue  his 
journey  at  once. 

After  he  had  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
Mobile  in  a  sloop  of  war,  the  remainder  of  the 
trip  was  comparatively  easy.  Until  the  railroad  was 
reached,  the  traveler  was  compelled  to  make  use 
of  the  slow  stagecoach. 

At  Washington  his  news  was  received  with  in 
credulity.  His  gold  was  criticized.  "  It  glitters,  it 


FIRST  BEARER  OF  CALIFORNIA  GOLD      195 

looks  like  gold,  but  it  isn't  gold,"  many  insisted. 
Special  messengers  were  sent  to  California  by  land 
and  by  sea  to  bring  back  further  specimens. 

In  New  York,  however,  men  were  not  such 
unbelievers.  They  handled  the  nugget  and  the 
dust  which  Beale  carried,  and  their  eyes  glittered 
with  longing.  Thousands  followed  him  when  he 
appeared  on  the  street. 

P.  T.  Barnum,  the  proprietor  of  the  Philadelphia 
Museum,  saw  a  chance  to  make  money  out  of  the 
small  specimen  borne  by  the  midshipman,  and  so 
he  wrote  him,  offering  to  buy  the  precious  metal  or 
to  pay  him  well  for  its  use  for  exhibition  purposes. 

But  Beale  did  not  like  the  notoriety.  He  dis 
appeared  after  placing  half  of  his  gold  on  view 
at  the  Patent  Office  in  Washington. 

Two  months  later  the  delayed  army  messenger 
arrived  in  Washington,  carrying  three  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  gold.  At  once  began  a  migration 
to  California  that  crowded  every  available  vessel. 
Thousands  who  could  not  obtain  passage  by  sea 
or  were  unable  to  pay  the  price  asked,  crossed 
the  plains  and  the  desert.  Within  two  years 
mining  in  California  was  advancing  by  leaps 
and  bounds. 

Source.  BONSAL.  Edward  Fitzgerald  Beale :  a  Pioneer  in  the  Path 
of  Empire.  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York. 


When  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  caused  the  immigra 
tion  of  tens  of  thousands  to  the  Pacific  coast,  the  lack  of  mail 
facilities  was  felt  keenly.  At  first  it  took  months  for  the  exchange  of 
letters  between  residents  in  California  and  their  friends  in  the  East. 

Yet  in  1860  letters  were  carried  two  thousand  miles  in  seven  days. 


^ 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

THE  PONY  EXPRESS 

In  1854  Senator  Gwin  of  California,  who  had 
just  made  the  overland  journey,  proposed  to  Con 
gress  a  weekly  mail  express  between  St.  Louis 
and  San  Francisco.  The  time  was  to  be  ten  days, 
and  five  thousand  dollars  was  to  be  paid  for  each 
trip.  But  Congress  seemed  to  think  it  a  wild 
scheme,  and  nothing  was  done.  California  was 
forced  to  content  itself  with  receiving  mail  by 
way  of  Panama.  When  the  steamers  were  not 
delayed,  a  letter  would  be  delivered  in  twenty- 
two  days.  When  Utah  Territory  was  created,  the 
news,  which  started  in  September,  1850,  reached 
Salt  Lake  City  in  January. 

On  September  15,  1858,  the  coaches  of  the 
Southern  Overland  Mail  left  both  San  Francisco 
and  St.  Louis  for  the  journey  between  the  two 

cities  by  way  of  Southern  California.    The  distance 

196 


THE  PONY  EXPRESS  197 

was  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
miles,  and  the  time  was  made  in  exactly  three 
weeks.  The  fare  was  one  hundred  dollars,  in 
gold.  Letters  were  carried  for  ten  cents  a  half- 
ounce.  The  equipment  consisted  of  more  than  one 
hundred  Concord  coaches,  one  thousand  horses, 
five  hundred  mules,  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  including  one  hundred  and  fifty  drivers. 
Nearly  three  years  later  the  first  stage  on  the 
central  route,  from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  to  Placer- 
ville,  California,  made  the  two  thousand  miles  in 
seventeen  days. 

Contrast  this  with  the  record  made  by  the  Pony 
Express,  which  carried  Buchanan's  second  message 
from  St.  Joseph  to  Sacramento,  two  thousand  miles, 
in  seven  days  and  nineteen  hours.  Two  hours 
were  cut  from  this  record  several  years  later. 

The  Pony  Express,  a  system  of  transportation 
which  employed  ponies  in  relays,  was  started  by 
private  parties  in  1860.  The  first  schedule  was 
fourteen  days,  by  rail  from  New  York  to  St.  Joseph, 
thence  by  running  ponies  to  Sacramento.  It  is 
said  that  from  the  beginning  the  trip  was  made 
on  schedule  time,  and  that  the  movements  of  the 
ponies  could  be  counted  on  as  certainly  as  the 
traveler  of  to-day  counts  on  the  express  train. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  seven  days,  three 


198      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

hours,  and  forty-five  minutes  was  the  time  required 
by  the  first  express  train  to  cover  the  distance 
between  New  York  and  San  Francisco,  it  will  be 
seen  how  remarkable  was  the  performance  of  the 
Pony  Express. 

'  The  ponies  employed  in  the  service  were  splen 
did  specimens  of  speed  and  endurance "  is  the 
record  written  by  Bradley.  "They  were  fed  and 
housed  with  the  greatest  care,  for  their  mettle 
must  never  fail  the  test  to  which  it  was  put.  Ten 
miles'  distance  at  the  limit  of  the  animal's  pace 
was  exacted  from  him,  and  he  came  darting  into 
the  station  flecked  with  foam,  nostrils  dilated,  and 
every  hair  reeking  with  perspiration,  while  his 
flanks  thumped  at  every  breath. 

"  Nearly  two  thousand  miles  in  eight  days  must 
be  made ;  there  was  no  idling  for  man  or  beast. 
When  the  express  rode  up  to  the  station,  both 
rider  and  pony  were  always  ready.  The  only  de 
lay  was  a  second  or  two  as  the  saddle-pouch  with 
its  precious  burden  was  thrown  on,  and  the  rider 
leaped  into  his  place ;  then  away  they  rushed  down 
the  trail,  and  in  a  moment  were  out  of  sight. 

"  The  case  of  precious  letters  made  a  bundle  no 
larger  than  an  ordinary  writing  tablet,  but  there  was 
five  dollars  paid  in  advance  for  every  letter  trans 
ported  across  the  continent.  There  were  hundreds 


THE  PONY  EXPRESS 


199 


of  them  sometimes,  for  they  were  written  on  the 
thinnest  paper  to  be  procured." 

Each  section  of  the  road  was  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  long.  Twenty 
pounds  was  the  limit  in  weight  of  mail  carried. 


A  PONY  EXPRESS  RIDER  ON  THE  LOOKOUT  FOR  INDIANS 

In  all,  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  miles  were 
ridden  by  the  riders  of  the  original  company,  and 
only  one  small,  unimportant  mail  was  lost. 

When  the  telegraph  was  completed  across  the 
plains,  rates  on  letters  fell  to  one  dollar.  In  addi 
tion,  it  was  necessary  to  pay  the  United  States 


200      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

ten  cents  on  each  letter,  though  it  was  carried  by 
private  hands.  There  was  for  many  years  a  sur 
vival  of  this  double  payment.  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Co.  long  carried  letters  for  particular  business  men 
who  insisted  that  they  got  better  service  from  the 
company,  but  the  regular  United  States  postage 
had  to  be  paid  in  addition  to  the  company's  charge, 
the  reason  being  that  the  mail-carrying  privilege  is 
retained  by  the  government. 

The  Pony  Express  never  paid  expenses.  For  the 
period  of  sixteen  months  that  it  was  in  operation, 
it  is  stated  that  the  expenses  were  approximately 
as  follows : 

Equipping  the  line $100,000 

Maintenance,  $30,000  per  month  .     .       480,000 

Nevada  Indian  War 7 5 ,000 

Miscellaneous 45,000 

$700,000 

The  receipts  were  less  than  five  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars.  The  results  were,  however,  out  of 
all  proportion  to  the  cost.  It  opened  the  way,  first 
for  the  transcontinental  telegraph,  then  for  the  rail 
way,  and  so  for  the  marvelous  development  of  the 
whole  Western  country. 

Sources.  VISSCHER.  A  Thrilling  and  Truthful  History  of  the  Pony 
Express.  Rand,  McNally  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

BRADLEY.  The  Story  of  the  Pony  Express.  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co., 
Chicago. 


^VW>lUjaUAAiJUUWJ^ 


While  the  problem  of  speedy  transportation  of  letters  was  being 
solved,  a  plainsman  was  planning  for  an  efficient  means  of  trans 
portation  across  the  sandy  waste.  His  idea  was  so  startling  that 
some  people  thought  he  was  crazy,  but  he  managed  to  convince 
those  in  authority  at  Washington  that  his  plan  should  be  tried. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  FORGOTTEN  CAMEL  CORPS 

This  is  not  a  story  of  Africa  or  Asia,  but  of 
America;  and  it  is  not  a  tale  of  the  circus  or  the 
menagerie,  but  of  the  Western  plains. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  square  miles  were  added  to  the 
territory  of  the  United  States,  and  there  was  need 
for  many  new  stations  and  forts  for  our  army. 
Soldiers  were  sent  to  these  stations.  Then  supplies 
of  all  kinds  had  to  follow  the  soldiers. 

But  how  were  the  supplies  to  be  forwarded 
across  the  desert  ?  Wagon  transportation  was  made 
difficult  by  the  presence  of  Indians  and  Mexicans. 
Many  plans  for  furnishing  the  desired  transporta 
tion  facilities  were  suggested.  Finally,  General 
Edward  F.  Beale  made  a  proposal  that  seemed 
the  most  impractical  of  all,  except  that  advocated 
by  a  man  who  wanted  a  relay  of  balloons. 


202      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

General  Beale's  suggestion  was  the  organization 
and  equipment  of  a  camel  corps.  The  thought 
came  to  him  while  crossing  Death  Valley  in  Cali 
fornia,  in  company  with  Kit  Carson.  On  his  jour 
neys  he  always  carried  a  book.  On  this  occasion 
the  book  described  Hue's  explorations  in  Tartary. 
While  reading  this  he  became  convinced  that  the 
introduction  of  camels  to  the  Western  desert  of 
America  would  rob  travel  of  half  its  terrors.  Kit 
Carson  was  not  enthusiastic  when  the  plan  was 
outlined,  but  when  General  Beale  went  to  Wash 
ington  to  propose  it,  his  reception  was  different. 
At  that  time  Jefferson  Davis  was  secretary  of 
war,  and  he  felt  that  the  proposed  camel  corps 
might  be  practical.  At  any  rate,  he  was  willing 
to  try  it. 

In  May,  1855,  the  steamship  Supply  sailed  for 
Tunis  to  secure  camels  for  the  experiment.  The 
captain  of  the  steamer  had  never  seen  a  camel, 
outside  a  circus,  so  he  very  wisely  bought  two 
camels  and  brought  them  on  board  for  the  pur 
pose  of  studying  their  habits,  that  he  might  treat 
the  herd  intelligently  when  it  should  be  in  his  care. 
Later  thirty-three  camels  were  purchased. 

In  April,  1856,  the  Supply  reached  Indianola, 
Texas,  with  its  cargo.  After  landing  the  ungainly 
animals,  the  commander  of  the  expediton  returned 


THE  CAMEL  CORPS  IN  THE  DESERT 
203 


204      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

to  Asia  Minor  for  a  second  supply.    In  the  summer 
of  1856  he  landed  forty-four  camels,  all  seasick. 

General  Beale  took  charge  of  the  animals,  and 
declared  most  enthusiastically  to  all  inquirers  that 
they  would  revolutionize  desert  transportation.  In 
quirers  were  many,  too,  for  popular  interest  in  this 
new  method  of  carrying  goods  was  great.  From 
El  Paso,  Texas,  the  commander  of  the  camel  corps 
wrote : 

When  exactly  the  right  breed  is  at  our  disposal,  and  when 
one  or  two  Turks  or  Arabs  to  the  manner  born  have  been 
induced  to  remain  long  enough  to  familiarize  our  people  with 
the  habits  of  the  camels,  complete  success  will  undoubtedly 
be  attained. 

An  account  of  the  beginning  of  the  journey 
of  the  camel  trains  to  the  West  was  written  by 
General  Beale  to  the  War  Department.  There 
were  none  in  his  party  who  knew  the  habits  of  the 
animals,  yet  everything  went  well.  There  was  not 
an  accident,  in  spite  of  the  predictions  of  people 
in  San  Antonio  who  said  that  none  of  the  camels 
would  ever  see  El  Paso.  The  road  was  the  most 
trying  General  Beale  had  ever  seen ;  every  unshod 
workhorse  or  mule  with  the  party  went  lame.  Yet 
not  a  camel  became  tenderfooted.  "  I  attribute  this," 
he  said,  "  not  so  much  to  the  spongy-natured, 
gutta-percha-like  substance  which  forms  their  feet, 


THE  FORGOTTEN   CAMEL  CORPS         205 

as  to  the  singular  regularity  and  perpendicular 
motion  with  which  the  foot  is  raised  and  put  down. 
In  horses  and  mules  there  is  always  more  or  less 
of  a  step  or  a  shuffle,  but  the  camel  lifts  his  foot 
clearly  from  the  ground,  extends  the  leg  and  re 
places  it  squarely  and  without  the  least  shuffle 
or  motion  to  create  friction." 

Another  reason  for  his  enthusiasm  was  that  the 
camels  "  live  and  keep  well  on  food  which  the  mules 
reject,  and  which  grows  in  the  greatest  luxuriance 
in  the  most  barren  of  our  American  deserts,  namely 
the  greasewood,  a  small  bitter  bush,  useless  for 
any  purpose  I  have  been  able  to  discover  except 
this.  Although  they  eat  grass  when  staked  out  to 
it,  if  left  to  themselves  they  will  instantly  leave 
the  best  forage  and  browse  greedily  on  bushes  of 
any  kind  whatever  in  preference." 

On  January  21,  1858,  the  newspapers  of  San 
Francisco  printed  a  letter  from  Los  Angeles  which 
told  of  the  arrival  of  General  Beale,  with  fourteen 
camels.  He  was  more  enthusiastic  than  ever,  and 
the  camels  had  served  him  well  in  all  his  journeys 
in  the  desert. 

When  Jefferson  Davis  left  the  Cabinet  there 
was  nobody  except  General  Beale  to  defend  the 
camels  against  those  who  declared  that  the  mule 
was  the  only  dependable  beast  of  burden  for 


206      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

American  deserts.  Their  protests  were  enforced  by 
the  complaints  of  the  soldiers,  who  feared  the 
camels,  in  spite  of  the  presence  of  Turks,  whose 
unconcern  in  handling  them  was  a  matter  of 
comment. 

Many  of  the  camels  strayed  away  from  the  army 
posts,  and  many  died  of  neglect.  For  years  the 
wandering  animals  were  seen  here  and  there  in 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

The  surviving  animals  were  condemned  by  the 
army  board  and  sold  at  auction.  General  Beale 
bought  them  and  kept  them  as  long  as  they  lived. 
Frequently  he  drove  two  of  them  attached  to  a 
sulky.  In  this  strange  conveyance  he  once  made 
a  journey  of  one  hundred  miles,  to  Los  Angeles. 

Source.  BONSAL.  Edward  Fitzgerald  Beale :  a  Pioneer  in  the  Path 
of  Empire.  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York. 


l^lA\WxWo'MX7xW^^ 


The  scheme  to  make  the  camel  the  ship  of  the  American  desert 
failed,  but  other  attempts  to  solve  the  transportation  problem  were 
more  successful.  The  overland  freighters  were  far  less  picturesque 
than  camels,  but  they  accomplished  for  the  scattered  settlers  in  the 
West  what  camels  could  never  have  done. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

FREIGHTING  ON  THE  PLAINS 

Before  the  railroads  were  built  across  the  plains 
many  freighting  companies  came  into  existence. 
These,  with  the  Conestoga  wagons  and  prairie 
schooners  of  the  immigrants,  made  the  roads  of 
the  prairies,  the  desert,  and  the  mountains  scenes 
of  remarkable  activity.  Almost  daily  great  caravans 
set  out  from  the  Missouri  River. 

There  is  no  way  of  telling  how  many  passengers 
crossed  the  plains  between  1846  and  1860,  nor 
how  much  freight  was  carried.  However,  an  idea 
of  the  extent  of  the  traffic  is  given  by  these  facts: 
approximately  forty-two  thousand  people  went  to 
California  in  1849  alone;  ten  years  later  observers 
at  Fort  Kearney  in  a  single  day  sometimes  counted 
as  many  as  five  hundred  heavily  laden  wagons; 
in  six  weeks,  in  1865,  six  thousand  wagons  loaded 

with  freight  passed  that  point. 

207 


208      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

F.  A.  Root,  a  messenger  on  the  overland  stage 
line  from  Atchison  to  Denver,  says  that  he  counted, 
in  one  day's  ride,  between  Fort  Kearney  and  old 
Julesburg,  888  westbound  wagons,  drawn  by  10,650 
oxen,  horses,  and  mules.  He  adds  that  at  almost 


FREIGHTING  PROVISIONS  ACROSS  THE  PLAINS 

any  hour  there  would  be  what  looked  like  "  a  solid 
train  of  moving,  white-covered  wagons." 

The  driver  of  a  team  of  horses  or  mules  counted 
on  twenty-one  days  as  the  time  required  for  the 
trip  from  points  on  the  Missouri  River  to  Denver. 
The  animals  were  not  permitted  to  go  faster  than  a 


FREIGHTING  ON  THE  PLAINS  209 

walk.    Ox  trains  made  but  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
a  day,  and  thirty-five  days  were  spent  on  the  road. 

An  incident  related  by  Mr.  Root  illustrates  the 
relative  speed  of  the  overland  stage  and  the 
overland  freighter : 

An  Atchison  freighter  had  just  pulled  out  with  his  ox 
train  one  Monday  morning,  a  few  minutes  before  the  reg 
ular  hour  of  departure  for  the  express  coach.  I  passed 
him  on  Eighth  street,  then  at  the  extreme  western  busi 
ness  portion  of  the  city,  and  reached  Denver  in  six  days. 
Remaining  there  two  days  I  started  on  my  return  trip  to 
Atchison.  On  my  way  down  I  met  and  chatted  briefly 
with  my  friend  somewhere  near  the  head  waters  of  the 
Little  Blue  River,  near  the  divide,  perhaps  twenty-five  miles 
southeast  of  Fort  Kearney.  I  reached  Atchison,  remaining 
a  week.  On  my  way  west  the  next  trip  I  passed  my  friend 
again  on  the  South  Platte.  I  reached  Denver,  stopping  two 
days,  then  returned  to  Atchison  on  my  regular  trip,  meet 
ing  him  again  on  my  way  east.  Remaining  another  week  in 
Atchison,  I  pulled  out  with  the  stage-coach,  once  more  for 
the  Colorado  metropolis.  Imagine  my  surprise  when,  within 
a  few  miles  of  Denver,  I  was  greeted  by  the  freighter's 
familiar  voice.  During  the  time  he  had  "been  making/his 
trip  of  653  miles  with  his  oxen,  traveling  every  day  except 
Sundays,  I  had  ridden  five  times  across  the  plains,  a.  dis 
tance  of  3265  miles,  and  had  laid  by. eighteen  days.  • 

But  even  if  progress  was  slow,  it  was  sure. 
Every  month  immense  quantities  of  freight  were 
carried  from  the  Missouri.  River  to  western  points. 


210      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

In  1865  over  21,000,000  pounds  of  freight  were 
shipped  from  Atchison,  loaded  in  4917  wagons 
which  were  drawn  by  8164  mules  and  27,685  oxen, 
and  were  cared  for  by  1256  men.  One  Leaven- 
worth  firm  conducted  such  a  tremendous  business 
that  they  required  6250  wagons  and  about  75,000 


PART  OF  THE  CARAVAN 


oxen.  Mr.  Root  estimates  that  if  these  oxen  and 
wagons  had  been  put  on  the  road  at  one  time,  they 
would  have  made  a  train  forty  miles  long. 

Usually  twenty-five  wagons  were  sent  out  in  one 
train  by  this  Leavenworth  firm.  The  men  who 
accompanied  such  a  train  are  enumerated  as  fol 
lows  :  "  A  captain,  who  acted  as  wagon-master ; 


FREIGHTING  ON  THE  PLAINS  21 1 

an  assistant  wagon-master;  the  extra  hands;  the 
night  herders;  a  cavallard  driver,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  attend  to  the  extra  cattle.  Besides  these, 
there  was  a  driver  for  each  team,  making  a  com 
plete  force  of  thirty-one  men  for  a  train." 

It  is  thought  that  the  largest  train  ever  seen 
west  of  the  Missouri  went  over  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
during  General  Ouster's  Indian  campaign  in  1868. 
"  In  it  were  800  army  wagons,  each  drawn  by  six 
mules.  When  strung  out  four  abreast  for  travel,  as 
was  often  done,  the  train  was  over  a  mile  in  length." 

The  wagon  trains  earned  large  profits  for  their 
owners,  though  at  times  it  happened  that  losses 
through  wars  with  the  Indians  were  so  great  that 
the  profits  of  years  were  wiped  out  in  a  week  or  a 
month.  One  of  the  leaders  in  the  business  lost 
through  Indians,  in  a  single  year,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars. 

The  charges  of  the  overland  freighters  between 
Atchison  and  Denver  averaged  as  follows : 

Flour 9  cents  per  pound 

Sugar 13!  cents  per  pound 

Bacon  and  Dry  Goods    .     .  15  cents  per  pound 

Whisky 1 8  cents  per  pound 

Glass 19!  cents  per  pound 

Trunks 25  cents  per  pound 

Furniture 31  cents  per  pound 


212      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  most  famous  of  the  owners  of  overland 
freighting  trains  was  Ben  Holliday,  who  paid  a 
million  dollars  a  year  for  feed  for  his  animals, 
and  received  a  million  dollars  a  year  from  the 
government  for  transporting  mail  from  Atchison 
to  Placerville,  California,  and  intermediate  points. 

This  is  only  one  chapter  of  many  in  the  wonder 
ful  story  of  the  winning  of  the  West.  It  is  well 
to  have  it  in  mind  when  we  are  being  whisked 
over  the  plains  in  palace  cars. 

Source.  ROOT  and  CONNELLEY.  The  Overland  Stage  to  California. 
Published  by  the  authors,  Topeka,  Kansas. 


^ 


The  tale  of  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  great  West 
would  be  incomplete  without  the  absorbing  story  of  transportation 
on  the  country's  vast  natural  waterways. 

The  first  chapter  in  this  story  goes  back  to  the  days  of  La  Salle, 
the  builder  of  the  first  vessel  on  the  Great  Lakes. 


^ 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  FIRST  VESSEL  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

It  is  not  easy  for  a  person  who  has  seen  the 
Great  Lakes  as  they  are  to-day,  with  their  im 
mense  commerce,  to  picture  them  as  they  were 
when  hardy  explorers  were  pushing  their  way  to 
the  interior  through  the  forests  that  almost  sur 
rounded  them.  These  men  looked  with  hungry 
eyes  on  the  waters,  longing  to  bring  their  vessels 
from  the  Atlantic  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  so 
continue  their  explorations  by  the  easy  water  route. 
But  Niagara  blocked  them.  Of  course  many  of 
the  early  missionaries,  explorers,  and  fur  traders 
took  advantage  of  the  Ottawa  River,  crossing 
over  to  the  French  River,  and  so  entering  Georgian 
Bay  on  Lake  Huron,  while  others  ascended  the 
Toronto  River  to  Lake  Simcoe,  and  so  across  to 
Lake  Huron ;  but  they  were  not  satisfied  with 
such  roundabout  routes. 

213 


214      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

La  Salle,  especially,  dreaming  of  the  time  when 
the  Lakes  would  carry  an  "inconceivable  com 
merce"  (to  use  the  words  of  Father  Hennepin,  his 
companion  on  many  adventurous  journeys),  wished 
to  explore  the  enticing  bodies  of  water.  So  he  asked 
leave  to  found  colonies  and  conduct  explorations 
as  far  west  as  Lake  Superior.  His  king  was  not 
ready  to  approve  the  plan  of  colonization,  but, 
with  royal  generosity,  he  gave  permission  to  the 
adventurer  to  "  labor  at  the  discovery  of  the  western 
parts  of  New  France,"  if  he  was  willing  to  pay 
all  expenses  out  of  his  own  pocket. 

It  was  La  Salle's  idea  to  lead  an  expedition 
by  water.  To  do  this  he  had  to  build  a  vessel 
beyond  the  Niagara  Falls  barrier.  Undaunted  by 
the  difficulties  of  construction  in  the  wilderness, 
he  made  his  plans  at  once. 

An  exploring  company  was  sent  by  canoe  up 
the  Niagara  River.  In  December,  1678,  the  party 
saw  the  falls,  and  were  amazed  and  awe-struck ;  they 
had  heard  from  the  Indians  of  the  grandeur  of 
the  sight,  but  the  reality  left  them  speechless. 
Turning  from  the  stupendous  spectacle,  they 
selected  a  spot  at  the  mouth  of  Cayuga  Creek, 
for  building  the  ship. 

When  La  Salle  was  about  to  begin  work,  word 
came  that  the  vessel  on  the  way  to  the  new 


FIRST  VESSEL  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES     215 

shipyard,  laden  with  building  materials,  had  been 
wrecked  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  everything  lost 
but  anchors  and  cables.  Nevertheless  he  deter 
mined  to  push  the  work.  Thirty  workmen  were 
available.  Two  Indians  made  bark  wigwams  for 


NIAGARA  FALLS 
From  Hennepin's  "  Nouvelle  Decouverte  d'un  Tres  Grand  Pays,"  1697 

the  men,  as  well  as  a  chapel  for  Father  Hennepin, 
who  had  carried  the  altar  on  his  back  twelve  miles 
from  where  they  had  left  the  canoes,  below  the  Falls. 
The  Indians  were  not  in  favor  of  building  "the 
wooden  canoe,"  for  they  were  afraid  that  the  white 
men  would  interfere  with  their  rich  fur  trade. 


216      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Fortunately  for  La  Salle,  most  of  the  Iroquois 
who  lived  near  the  Niagara  River  were  off  on  the 
war  path ;  yet  those  who  remained  at  home  were 
able  greatly  to  hinder  the  work.  Spies  were  con 
stantly  in  the  shipyard.  Once  the  blacksmith  was 
attacked,  but  he  successfully  defended  himself  with 


BUILDING  OF  THE  GRIFFON 
From  the  Hennepin  of  1704 

a  red-hot  bar  of  iron.  When  the  vessel  took  shape 
under  the  sturdy  hands  of  the  workmen,  word 
came  through  a  friendly  squaw  of  a  plot  to  burn 
it  at  the  stocks.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  a  guard 
posted  constantly. 

Discouraged    by    these    alarms,    by    weather    so 
much  colder  than  they  had  known  at  home,  and  by 


FIRST  VESSEL  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES      217 

the  shortage  of  supplies,  the  workmen  threatened 
to  leave,  but  the  masterly  leader  succeeded  in  per 
suading  them  to  stay. 

Finally,  early  in  the  spring  of  1679,  the  vessel 
was  launched  in  the  Niagara  River.  It  was  of 
forty-five  tons  burden,  and  carried  five  cannons. 

When  the  Griffon,  as  the  vessel  was  named,  was 
ready  for  its  first  voyage,  La  Salle  found  it  neces 
sary,  owing  to  the  strong  current,  to  use  towropes. 
Progress  was  easy  on  Lake  Erie,  but  the  Indians, 
to  frighten  the  pioneers,  had  insisted  that  the  lake 
was  full  of  rocks  and  sands.  A  day  of  cautious 
voyaging  showed  the  falsity  of  this  report ;  then 
the  voyage  was  continued  without  fear  until  the 
St.  Clair  Flats  were  reached.  Here,  again,  tow- 
ropes  were  a  necessity,  a  dozen  men  hauling  the 
Griffon  into  deeper  water. 

At  Lake  Michigan,  or  Lake  Illinois,  as  it  was 
called  by  both  French  and  Indians,  a  cargo  of 
furs  was  secured,  and  the  Griffon  was  deeply  laden. 
Dividing  his  men  into  two  companies,  La  Salle 
left  one  company  on  board,  with  instructions  to 
return  to  Niagara,  from  which  point  the  furs  were 
to  be  transported  to  market  and  sold  for  the  benefit 
of  his  clamoring  creditors.  The  intrepid  leader 
and  fourteen  companions  embarked  in  four  canoes 
and  pushed  on  into  the  wilderness. 


218      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


But  La  Salle's  creditors  were  never  to  reap  the 
fruits  of  that  voyage.  The  return  trip  to  Niagara 
was  barely  begun,  when  a  sudden  storm  caught 
the  vessel  unprepared.  For  four  days  the  wind 
blew  and  the  waves  boiled.  Whether  the  Griffon 
gave  up  the  battle  with  the  elements  at  once,  or 

after  a  long  con 
flict,  was  never 
known.  No  mem 
ber  of  the  crew 
lived  to  tell  the 
tale  of  the  voyage. 
During  the  hur 
ricane  La  Salle  and 
his  men  waited  on 
shore,  living  on 
pumpkins  and  In 
dian  corn  and  the  flesh  of  a  porcupine.  Then,  al 
though  fearing  the  worst  for  the  Griffon,  they  took 
to  their  boats  once  more.  Storm  succeeded  storm. 
For  safety  they  went  ashore  at  night.  At  first 
it  was  comparatively  easy  to  do  this,  for  the  bluff 
was  low,  and  they  were  able  to  find  a  kind  of 
shelter  from  the  snow  and  rain  among  the  rocks 
and  bushes.  Later,  when  the  bluff  at  their  right 
grew  higher,  it  was  difficult  to  climb  to  the  top, 
but  this  they  were  obliged  to  do,  dragging  their 


BOWLDER  AND  TABLET  ON  THE  SITE  OF 
THE  GRIFFON  SHIPYARD 


FIRST  VESSEL  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES     219 

canoes  with  them.  When  food  supplies  were  all 
but  exhausted  they  were  glad  to  eat  a  little  corn 
and  a  few  wild  berries.  Near  the  site  of  Milwaukee 
they  found  the  body  of  a  deer,  which  had  been  killed 
by  a  wolf.  With  what  eagerness  they  devoured  the 
meat  thus  provided  for  them  in  the  nick  of  time ! 

These  are  only  hints  of  the  privations  endured 
by  La  Salle  and  his  men.  Father  Hennepin  was 
right  in  saying,  "  Those  who  shall  be  so  happy  as 
to  inhabit  that  noble  country  cannot  but  remember 
with  gratitude  those  who  discovered  the  way  by 
venturing  to  sail  upon  unknown  lakes." 

Source.    CHANNING  and  LANSING.    The  Story  of  the  Great  Lakes. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 


More  than  one  hundred  years  passed  before  the  next  great 
landmark  in  the  history  of  transportation  by  water  in  the  United 
States.  Then  came  John  Fitch,  the  Yankee  clockmaker,  brass- 
founder,  silversmith,  gunsmith,  surveyor,  and  soldier,  who  built 
the  first  river  steamboat. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

A  DISAPPOINTED  INVENTOR 

The  day  will  come  when  some  more  powerful  man  will 
get  fame  and  riches  from  my  invention,  but  nobody  will 
believe  that  poor  John  Fitch  can  do  anything  worthy  of 
attention. 

Thus  wrote  a  disappointed  inventor  who,  seven 
teen  years  before  Fulton's  Clermont  appeared  in 
the  Hudson,  perfected  a  workable  steamboat.  For 
a  period  of  three  months  this  boat  carried  pas 
sengers  and  freight  on  the  Delaware  River  out  of 
Philadelphia. 

The  inventor  was  John  Fitch,  who  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  January  21,  1743,  old  style, 
or  February  2,  according  to  the  revised  calendar. 
When  he  was  ten  years  old  he  was  taken  out  of 
school  and  set  to  work.  He  was  so  fond  of  books, 
however,  that  he  persisted  in  study  before  and 
after  work.  Books  which  his  father  felt  unable  to 


A  DISAPPOINTED   INVENTOR  221 

afford  were  bought  by  the  boy  himself  with 
money  secured  by  extra  work.  One  such  purchase 
was  made  possible  by  raising  his  own  crop  of 
potatoes  on  waste  land  on  his  father's  farm ;  the  po 
tatoes  were  planted  on  a  holiday,  when  the  rest  of 
the  family  were  away  from  home,  and  the  patch 
was  cultivated  at  noon  and  in  the  evening. 

At  seventeen,  discouraged  by  the  outlook  on 
the  farm,  he  resolved  to  go  to  sea.  His  capital 
was  twenty-three  shillings,  of  which  his  father  had 
given  him  twenty.  On  his  return  he  apprenticed 
himself  to  a  clockmaker,  who,  being  also  a  farmer, 
demanded  that  one  half  of  the  apprentice's  time 
should  be  devoted  to  farm  work.  Unfortunately, 
the  master  did  not  carry  out  the  terms  of  the  inden 
ture  ;  he  insisted  on  keeping  young  Fitch  at  work 
on  the  farm  most  of  the  time,  and  gave  him  little 
instruction  in  his  trade.  The  apprentice's  expe 
rience  was  equally  unfortunate  when  his  services 
were  transferred  to  another  clockmaker,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  he  was  twenty.  Then  he  secured 
his  release  on  payment  of  £8,  for  which  he  had 
to  go  in  debt,  deciding  that  it  was  wiser  to  con 
tract  the  debt  than  to  waste  more  time  with  a  man 
who  refused  to  teach  him  according  to  promise. 
So  he  went  out  into  the  world,  "  a  clockmaker 
who  had  never  made  a  clock,  a  watchmaker 


222      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

who  had  never  taken  a  watch  apart  or  put  one 
together,  and  who  had  never  seen  the  tools  neces 
sary  for  such  delicate  operations." 

But  of  brass  work  he  had  some  knowledge. 
He  borrowed  twenty  shillings  and  announced  him 
self  as  a  brass-founder.  So  well  did  he  succeed  that 


FITCH'S  STEAMBOAT 
Philadelphia  in  the  background 

in  two  years  he  had  paid  off  his  entire  indebtedness 
of  £20,  and  had  saved  £$o.  More  than  this,  he 
was  known  as  a  successful  clockmaker;  he  had 
taught  himself  by  experimenting  on  every  clock 
he  could  get  for  the  purpose. 

In  consequence  of  business  misfortunes  the 
young  manufacturer  decided  to  leave  home.  For 
some  time  he  tramped  through  New  York  and 


A  DISAPPOINTED   INVENTOR  223 

New  Jersey,  earning  his  way  by  mending  clocks. 
At  Trenton  he  found  employment  at  the  shop  of 
a  silversmith,  whose  trade  he  soon  picked  up.  How 
ever,  business  was  so  poor  that  he  long  lived  on 
threepence  a  day.  But,  business  gradually  increasing, 
he  was  able  to  buy  out  the  silversmith  and  became 
himself  an  employer,  doing  more  work  than  the  best 
of  Philadelphia's  silversmiths.  By  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolutionary  War  he  had  saved  ^800. 

For  a  time  John  Fitch  served  as  lieutenant  in 
a  New  Jersey  company,  but  when  his  services  were 
desired  as  a  gunsmith  he  felt  that  he  could  be  of 
more  use  at  his  shop  than  in  the  field.  His  estab 
lishment  soon  became  a  small  arsenal,  and  his 
apprentices  gave  their  entire  attention  to  supplying 
the  needs  of  the  soldiers.  This  continued  until  the 
advance  of  the  British  made  necessary  the  closing 
of  the  armory. 

Fitch's  further  career  during  the  war  is  clouded. 
He  was  accused  of  being  a  deserter,  but  the  charge 
was  answered  by  the  statement  that  armorers  were 
excluded  from  military  service.  He  sought  to  make 
money  by  selling  provisions  to  the  army  at  Valley 
Forge,  but  the  rapid  depreciation  of  Continental 
currency  impoverished  him. 

Disheartened  by  reverses  and  criticisms,  the  silver 
smith,  who  had  learned  the  principles  of  surveying 


224      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

when  he  was  eleven  years  old,  went  to  Kentucky 
to  survey  lands  purchased  with  the  scant  funds  left 
to  him.  After  a  time  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Indians,  and  compelled  to  go  with  them  to  Detroit. 
There  he  was  delivered  to  the  British. 

With  other  prisoners  he  was  taken  by  water  to 
an  island  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
Even  in  this  unlikely  place  the  Yankee  silversmith 
contrived  to  make  money.  He  had  no  tools  except 
a  single  engraving  implement,  but  he  made  others. 
An  old  brass  kettle,  bought  from  a  soldier,  furnished 
material  for  brass  buttons.  In  seven  months  nine 
wooden  clocks,  three  hundred  pairs  of  brass  sleeve 
buttons,  and  eighty  pairs  of  silver  buttons  were 
made.  Prices  were  low,  but  the  ingenious  man  was 
able  to  buy  many  comforts,  as  well  as  to  spend  a 
dollar  each  week  on  sick  prisoners.  The  industry 
was  interrupted  only  by  an  exchange  of  prisoners 
and  return  to  New  York. 

It  was  in  1785  that  the  idea  of  the  steamboat 
first  occurred  to  Fitch.  The  sight  of  a  carriage 
drawn  by  horses  led  him  to  think  of  the  possibility 
of  a  carriage  propelled  by  steam.  He  had  then 
never  seen  a  steam  engine.  He  declared  that  he 
did  not  know  that  such  a  thing  was  in  existence. 
A  week's  thought  led  him  to  decide  that  steam  car 
riages  were  impracticable,  because  of  the  roughness 


A  DISAPPOINTED   INVENTOR  225 

of  the  roads.  Then  he  began  to  think  of  a  boat 
propelled  by  steam.  The  first  model  was  built  in 
1785  with  paddle  wheels.  The  machinery  was  made 
of  brass,  while  the  paddle  wheels  had  been  made 
of  wood  by  a  student  from  Princeton  College. 

On  January  13,  1848,  Rembrandt  Peale,  then  an 
old  man,  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  who  had  asked 
for  his  memories  of  the  first  trial,  in  Philadelphia. 
He  said : 

In  the  spring  of  1785,  hearing  there  was  something 
curious  to  be  seen  at  the  floating  bridge  on  the  Schuylkill 
at  Market  Street,  I  eagerly  ran  to  the  spot,  where  I  found 
a  few  persons  collected,  and  eagerly  gazing  at  a  shallop  at 
anchor  below  the  bridge,  with  about  20  persons  on  board. 
On  the  deck  was  a  small  furnace,  and  machinery  connected 
with  a  coupling  crank,  projecting  over  the  stern  to  give 
motion  to  three  or  four  paddles,  resembling  snow  shovels, 
which  hung  into  the  water.  When  all  was  ready,  and  the 
power  of  steam  was  made  to  act,  by  means  of  which  I 
was  then  ignorant,  knowing  nothing  of  the  piston  except 
in  the  common  pump,  the  paddles  began  to  work,  pressing 
against  the  water  backward  as  they  rose,  and  the  boat,  to 
my  great  delight,  moved  against  the  tide,  without  wind  or 
hand ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  it  ran  aground  at  one  angle 
of  the  river,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  managing  the 
unwieldy  rudder,  which  projected  eight  or  ten  feet.  It  was 
soon  backed  off  and  proceeded  slowly  to  its  destination  at 
Gray's  Ferry.  So  far  it  must  have  been  satisfactory  to 
Mr.  Fitch  in  this  his  first  public  experiment. 


226      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


Because  of  the  mechanical  difficulties  in  the 
crude  paddle  wheels,  it  was  resolved  to  abandon 
them  in  favor  of  oars  or  paddles  to  be  arranged 
as  in  a  boat  propelled  by  man  power,  but  moved  in 
this  case  by  steam.  A  boat  on  this  principle  was 
built  in  1787,  and  was  comparatively  successful. 
The  trial  on  the  Delaware  was  witnessed  by  nearly 

all  the  members 
of  the  Constitu 
tional  Convention 
then  in  session  in 
Philadelphia. 

In  a  later  model, 
built  in  1788,  the 
position  of  the 
oars  was  changed 
to  the  stern,  where 
they  were  made 
to  push  against  the  water.  Although  this  boat  made 
a  trip  to  Burlington,  twenty  miles  from  Philadel 
phia,  it  was  seen  that  improvements  were  necessary. 
These  were  incorporated  in  the  boat  which  was 
tested  in  1790;  it  ran  a  mile  on  the  Delaware,  at 
dead  water,  in  twelve  minutes  and  a  half. 

So  great  was  the  success  of  the  new  model  that 
it  became  a  regular  passenger  and  freight  boat  on 
the  Delaware,  running  a  total  of  between  two  and 


FITCH'S  THIRD  STEAMBOAT,  1788 

Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Phila 
delphia  Commercial  Museum 


A  DISAPPOINTED  INVENTOR  227 

three  thousand  miles  at  a  speed  of  from  seven  to 
eight  miles  an  hour,  whereas  Fulton's  Clermont, 
seventeen  years  later,  could  accomplish  little  more 
than  six  miles  an  hour.  On  June  14  the  Federal 
Gazette  published  the  following  announcement : 

THE  STEAMBOAT  is  now  ready  to  take  passen 
gers,  and  is  intended  to  set  off  from  Arch  Street  Ferry  in 
Philadelphia,  every  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  for  Bur 
lington,  Bristol,  Bordentown  &  Trenton,  to  return  on  Tues 
days,  Thursdays  &  Saturdays.  Price  for  Passengers  2/6  to 
Burlington  and  Bristol,  3/9  to  Bordentown,  5  s.  to  Trenton. 

Plans  were  immediately  made  to  build  a  larger 
boat,  the  Perseverance,  so  that  two  boats  might 
be  sent  to  Virginia  in  time  to  take  advantage  of 
the  state's  grant  of  exclusive  rights  to  transpor 
tation  on  the  Ohio  River  and  its  tributaries.  Penn 
sylvania  had  already  granted  without  conditions 
a  similar  right  for  waters  under  her  control.  The 
United  States  patent,  signed  by  Washington,  was 
not  granted  till  August  26,  1791. 

Vexatious  delays  hindered  the  work  on  the 
Perseverance.  Enemies  attacked  Fitch,  friends 
forsook  him,  rivals  interfered  with  him,  dire  poverty 
added  to  his  difficulties.  It  became  impossible  to 
complete  the  vessel  in  season  to  comply  with  the 
Virginia  statute.  Finally  the  inventor  abandoned 
the  enterprise. 


228      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Fitch,  after  a  trip  to  France,  retired  to  Kentucky, 
where,  ill  and  disheartened,  he  took  his  own  life. 
A  friend  at  first  proposed  to  put  above  the  grave 
this  inscription: 

While  living  he  declared 

"  This  will  be  the  mode  of 

crossing  the  Atlantic 

in  time, 
Whether  I  shall  bring  it  to  perfection 

or  not. 
Steamboats  will  be  preferred  to 

all  other  conveyances  ; 

And  they  will  be  particularly 

useful  in  the  Navy  Yard,  and  on  the 

Ohio  and  Mississippi." 

The  body  of  the  inventor  lies  forgotten  in 
Bardstown,  Kentucky;  but  the  prophecy  has  been 
fulfilled. 

Sources.  THOMPSON  WESTCOTT.  Life  of  John  Fitch,  the  Inventor 
of  the  Steamboat.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia. 

Letter  from  Rembrandt  Peale.  Collection  of  the  Historical  Society 
of  Pennsylvania. 

WHITTLESEY.  Life  of  John  Fitch,  Vol.  VI,  Second  Series  (Library  of 
American  Biography).  Charles  C.  Little  and  James  Brown,  Boston,  1 845. 


A3iJV^W^AAy^WJAA.VJW,^: 


The  day  foretold  by  John  Fitch  came  quickly.  Another  inventor 
designed  a  steamboat  that  had  none  of  the  defects  of  the  vessel 
which  startled  the  residents  of  the  Quaker  City  when  it  made  its 
appearance  on  the  Delaware.  And  he  is  known  as  the  inventor 
of  the  steamboat. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

THE  FIRST  PRACTICAL  STEAMBOATS 

The  power  of  propelling  boats  by  steam  is  now  fully 
proved.  The  morning  I  left  New  York  there  was  not,  per 
haps,  thirty  persons  in  the  city  who  believed  the  boat  would 
ever  be  of  the  least  utility,  and  while  we  were  putting  off 
from  the  wharf  I  heard  a  number  of  sarcastic  remarks. 
This  is  the  way  in  which  ignorant  men  compliment  what 
they  call  philosophers  and  projectors. 

Thus,  in  August,  1807,  Robert  Fulton,  honored 
as  the  inventor  of  the  steamboat,  wrote  to  Joel 
Barlow.  He  had  just  made  the  trial  trip  in  the 
Clermont  from  New  York  to  Albany,  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  miles,  in  thirty-two  hours.  On  con 
dition  that  the  speed  should  be  at  least  four  miles 
an  hour,  the  legislature  had  promised  to  him  and 
his  partner  "  exclusive  right  and  privilege  of  navi 
gating  all  kinds  of  boats  by  steam  on  all  the  waters 
of  the  State,  for  a  term  of  twenty  years."  After 

the  successful  trial,  the  further  promise  was  made 

229 


230      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


that  the  monopoly  would  be  extended  for  a  period  of 
five  years  for  each  new  boat  put  on  the  river  by  the 
inventor,  until  a  total  of  thirty  years  was  reached. 
There  was  much  excitement  on  the  river  when 

the  Clermont  be 
gan  to  make  reg 
ular  trips.  There 
were  many  sail 
ing  vessels  on  the 
stream,  whose  cap 
tains  and  owners, 
seeing  in  the  new 
venture  a  danger 
ous  rival,  began  to 
interfere  with  the 
safe  running  of 
the  boat,  until  it 
became  necessary 
for  the  legislature 
to  threaten  with 
imprisonment  the 
guilty  persons. 

That  terror,  as  well  as  jealousy,  was  excited  by 
the  passage  of  the  Clermont,  is  shown  by  an  extract 
from  a  letter  written  by  one  who  lived  on  the  river : 

The  crews  of  many  sailing  vessels  shrank  beneath  their 
decks  at  the  terrific  sight,  while  others  prostrated  themselves 


FULTON'S   FIRST  EXPERIMENT  WITH 
PADDLES,  1779 

Drawn  by  Reigart 


THE  FIRST  PRACTICAL  STEAMBOATS     231 

and  besought  Providence  to  protect  them  from  the  approach 
of  the  horrible  monster  which  was  marching  on  the  tide  and 
lighting  its  path  by  the  fire  that  it  vomited. 

The  next  year,  1808,  the  Clermont,  improved  and 
enlarged,  was  renamed  the  North  River.  The  fol 
lowing  description  of  her  first  voyage  was  written 
by  a  passenger: 

At  the  hour  appointed  for  departure,  9  A.M.,  Chancellor 
Livingston,  Fulton's  partner,  with  a  number  of  invited  friends, 
came  on  board,  and  after  a  good  deal  of  bustle,  and  no 
little  noise  and  confusion,  the  boat  was  got  out  into  the 
stream  and  headed  up  the  river.  Steam  was  put  on, 
and  sails  were  set,  for  she  was  provided  with  large  square 
sails,  attached  to  masts,  that  were  so  constructed  that  they 
could  be  raised  or  lowered,  as  the  direction  and  strength  of 
the  wind  might  require.  There  was  at  this  time  a  light 
breeze  from  the  south,  and  with  steam  and  sails  a  very 
satisfactory  rate  of  speed  was  obtained,  and  as  the  favor 
able  wind  continued  we  kept  on  the  even  tenor  of  our  way 
.  .  .  and  the  boat  proceeded  to  Albany,  where  she  arrived 
at  two  or  three  o'clock  P.M. 

This  was  thought  to  be  a  wonderful  performance, 
for  the  trip  had  required  but  twenty-nine  hours 
instead  of  thirty-two.  The  fare  was  seven  dollars. 
For  twenty  miles  or  less  the  charge  was  one  dollar. 

A  glimpse  of  life  on  the  river  is  given  in  a 
letter  by  Reginald  Fowler,  an  Englishman,  after 
a  trip  on  one  of  the  Hudson  River  boats  in  the 


232      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

early  days,  when  the  first  models  had  been  greatly 
improved   on.     He  wrote : 

The  Americans  take  great  pride  in  these  boats,  and  spare 
no  expense  on  them.  In  English  steamboats  the  ladies  are 
usually  worse  accommodated  than  the  stronger  sex.  In 
America  this  is  not  the  case  ;  the  best  part  of  the  boat 
is  used  for  their  accommodation.  All  must  give  way  to 
them.  No  man  is  admitted  into  the  dining  saloon  until 
all  the  ladies  are  seated  at  the  table,  when  they  rush  in 
pell  mell.  After  that,  should  a  lady  require  either,  the 
chair  is,  without  ceremony,  taken  from  under  you,  and 
the  plate  from  before  you.  The  Americans  pride  them 
selves  on  their  courtesy  to  Women,  and  consider  it  a 
sign  of  high  civilization. 

Several  of  the  earlier  boats  tried  to  attract  pas 
sengers  by  the  use  of  a  steam  calliope,  on  which 
tunes  were  played  during  the  voyage  up  or  down 
the  river.  The  sound  could  be  heard  for  a  long 
distance.  But  the  practice  was  abandoned  when 
it  was  found  that  the  operation  of  the  calliope 
required  so  much  steam  that  the  speed  of  the 
boat  was  materially  lessened. 

Naturally,  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  that 
steamboat  navigation  was  practicable  and  profit 
able,  rival  owners  tried  to  force  their  way  into 
the  river  trade.  In  1812  a  boat  built  by  Fulton 
himself  for  a  man  who  planned  to  use  it  on  Long 
Island  Sound  was  transferred  to  the  river  while  war 


THE  FIRST  PRACTICAL  STEAMBOATS     233 

was  in  progress,  because  of  fear  of  Great  Britain. 
As  this  was  an  unusually  good  vessel,  the  price 
of  passage  was  put  at  ten  dollars.  A  young  Dutch 
man,  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  who  had  been  running 
sail  ferryboats  between  Staten  Island  and  New 
York,  secured  several  steamboats,  and  advertised  still 
better  accommodations  and  a  lower  fare  to  Albany. 


THE  CLERMONT 


David  Buckman,  one  of  the  historians  of  river 
activity,  who  was  born  in  a  house  built  of  timbers 
from  the  wreck  of  an  early  steamboat,  has  pictur 
esquely  told  of  what  followed  the  opening  of  the 
rival  lines : 

There  was  a  great  strife  to  secure  patrons.  The  town 
was  placarded  with  bills  more  gaudy  and  enticing  than 
the  pictures  of  a  sideshow  at  a  circus.  "  Runners "  for 
the  rival  steamboat  lines  made  the  water  front  a  lively 
place.  A  man  or  a  woman  with  a  carpetbag  became  the 


234      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

legitimate  subject  of  capture.  Sometimes  the  man  went 
by  one  line  and  his  satchel  by  another.  Every  induce 
ment  was  offered,  and  nervous  old  ladies,  who  were  fear 
ful  of  bursting  boilers,  were  even  assured  by  these  runners 
that  their  boats  had  no  boilers  !  The  high  rate  went  down 
to  one  dollar  for  the  trip,  and  eventually  to  ten  cents ; 
subsequently,  in  a  later  competition  for  passengers,  one 
could  go  to  Albany  or  Troy  without  paying  any  fare. 

The  monopoly  was,  after  many  years,  broken. 
The  state  of  New  Jersey  fought  in  the  courts 
for  her  rights  on  the  Hudson.  Daniel  Webster 
conducted  the  case  for  New  Jersey,  and  secured 
a  verdict  in  her  favor  from  the  Supreme  Court. 

Capitalists  now  became  interested  in  river  navi 
gation.  Millions  were  invested  in  steamboats,  each 
one  of  which  was  more  palatial  and  speedy  than 
its  predecessor,  until  thousands  of  passengers  were 
carried  in  a  single  hull,  and  it  became  possible  to 
make  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  miles  between 
the  cities  in  less  than  seven  hours. 

Thus  the  history  of  navigation  on  the  Hudson 
is  much  like  that  of  transportation  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  its  tributaries.  Yet  the  boats  on  this 
Eastern  river  never  did  the  important  work  of  their 
Western  successors.  The  surrounding  country  was 
well  settled  long  before  the  Clermont  made  her 
first  voyage ;  but  in  the  West  and  South  the 


THE  FIRST  PRACTICAL  STEAMBOATS     235 

steamboats  were  invaluable  in  carrying  settlers  to 
their  new  homes,  and  in  helping  in  the  development 
of  a  dozen  states.  In  other  words,  on  the  Hudson 
the  boats  were  a  convenience ;  on  the  Ohio,  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  Tennessee  they  were  an  abso 
lute  necessity.  The  invention  of  Robert  Fulton 
was  perfected  just  in  time  to  be  of  greatest  use 
to  the  West  and  the  South. 

Sources.  DAVID  L.  BUCKMAN.  Old  Steamboat  Days  on  the  Hudson. 
The  Grafton  Press,  New  York. 

J.  FRANKLIN  REIGART.  The  Life  of  Robert  Fulton.  C.  G.  Hender 
son  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1856. 


^X>^A\l^W^WxUXyMkJMV/vVW^ 


Ten  years  after  Robert  Fulton's  successful  experiment  on  the 
Hudson,  the  pioneer  steamboat  on  the  Great  Lakes,  the  Walk-in- 
the- Water,  made  its  first  voyage  on  Lake  Erie,  attaining  a  speed  of 
from  eight  to  ten  miles  an  hour.  Thus  an  important  chapter  in 
the  development  of  the  West  was  begun. 


YynYrA^^ 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

EARLY  STEAMBOAT  DAYS  ON  THE 
GREAT  LAKES 

It  is  related  in  an  old  chronicle  that  when 
Fulton's  steamboat,  the  Clermont,  was  making  its 
first  trip  up  the  Hudson,  "an  Indian  standing 
on  the  river  bank,  gazing  long  and  silently  at 
the  boat  moving  upstream  without  sails,  finally 
exclaimed,  '  Walks  in  water ! ' :  The  man  of  the 
forest  saw  the  boat  stemming  the  current,  unaided 
by  any  power  known  to  him.  He  observed  the 
paddle  wheels  slowly  revolving,  and  instinctively 
comprehended  that  when  a  paddle  struck  water 
there  was  a  step  forward. 

When  the  first  steamer  was  built  for  Lake  Erie 
traffic  this  story  was  recalled,  and  the  name  "  Walk- 
in-the-Water  "  was  chosen  by  its  owner  and  painted 
on  the  paddle  boxes.  This  name  was  more  pictur 
esque  than  useful,  since  it  was  too  much  of  a 

236 


EARLY  STEAMBOAT  DAYS  237 

mouthful  for  ordinary  use.  The  new  marvel  was 
therefore  referred  to  simply  as  "  the  steamboat." 

When  the  boat  was  first  seen  by  a  Frenchman, 
he  gazed  at  it  curiously,  then  exclaimed  to  his  wife, 
"Jeanne,  Jeanne,  what  are  the  Yankees  sending  us 
now  but  a  sawmill !  " 

It  is  interesting  to  read  the  account  which  is 
given  by  an  eyewitness  of  the  Walk-in-the- Water's 
first  voyage: 

On  the  twenty- fourth  day  of  August,  1818,  an  entire 
novelty  —  the  like  of  which  not  one  in  five  hundred  of  the 
inhabitants  had  ever  seen  —  presented  itself  before  the  peo 
ple  of  Cayahoga  County.  On  that  clay  the  residents  along 
the  lake  shore  of  Euclid  saw  upon  the  lake  a  curious  kind 
of  vessel  making  what  was  considered  very  rapid  progress 
westward,  without  the  aid  of  sails,  while  from  a  pipe  near 
the  middle  rose  forth  a  dark  cloud  of  smoke,  which  trailed 
its  gloomy  length  far  into  the  rear  of  the  swift-gliding 
mysterious  traveler  on  the  deep.  They  watched  its  west 
ward  course  until  it  turned  its  prow  toward  the  harbor  of 
Cleveland  ;  and  then  turned  back  to  their  work.  Many  of 
them  doubtless  knew  what  it  was,  but  some  shook  their 
heads  in  sad  surmise  as  to  whether  some  evil  powers  were 
not  at  work  in  producing  such  a  strange  phenomenon  as 
that  on  the  bosom  of  their  beloved  Lake  Erie.  Meanwhile 
the  citizens  of  Cleveland,  perceiving  the  approach  of  the 
monster,  hastened  to  the  lake  shore  to  examine  it.  "  What 
is  it  ?  What  is  it  ?  Where  did  it  come  from  ?  What  makes 
it  go  ?  "  queried  one  and  another  of  the  excited  throng. 


238      REAL   STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

"It's  the  steamboat!  That's  what  it  is!"  cried  others  in 
reply.  "Yes!  Yes!  It's  the  steamboat,"  was  the  general 
shout,  and  with  ringing  cheers  the  people  watched  the  first 
vessel  propelled  by  steam  that  had  ever  traversed  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie. 

When  the  steamboat  was  loaded  to  capacity, 
it  carried  one  hundred  cabin  passengers  and  more 
than  this  number  of  steerage  passengers.  These 
passengers  were  delighted  with  the  speed  of  eight 
or  ten  miles  an  hour. 

It  was  reported  among  the  Indians  that  this 
rapidly  moving  vessel  was  drawn  through  the 
water  by  sturgeons.  A  few  venturesome  red  men, 
determined  to  learn  the  truth,  went  on  board  at 
Detroit  and  found  their  way  to  the  engine  room. 
The  engine  let  off  steam  under  great  pressure. 
No  wonder  the  Indians  "  started  with  a  spring, 
a  leap  and  a  bound,  and  ran  off  the  boat,  up  the 
hill,  and  through  the  village,  nor  did  they  lessen 
their  speed  until  they  were  out  of  sight  of  the 
white  man's  '  big  canoe.'  " 

Forty-two  hours  were  required  for  the  voyage 
from  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  and  the  fare  was  eighteen 
dollars. 

The  people  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  found 
that  they  could  look  for  the  new  boat  at  about 
the  time  of  its  advertised  appearance.  Half  an 


EARLY  STEAMBOAT  DAYS 


239 


hour  before  its  arrival  a  small  cannon  placed  on 
the  deck  would  be  fired  as  a  warning,  for  there 
were  no  whistles  in  those  days.  Again  the  cannon 
would  be  fired  as  an  indication  that  the  boat  was 
about  to  continue  its  journey.  The  signal  of  the 


THE  WALK-IN-THE-WATER 


cannon  was  used  until  one  day,  in  a  storm,  the 
gun  broke  from  its  lashings  and  sank  in  the  lake. 
Passengers  were  not  always  able  to  board  the 
steamer  when,  attracted  by  the  firing  of  the  cannon, 
they  went  to  the  beach.  There  were  no  piers  and 
no  harbors,  and  passengers  were  received  and  de 
posited  by  means  of  boats.  Women  and  children 
were  carried  through  the  waves  between  the  boats 


240      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

and  the  shore  on  the  backs  of  brawny  sailors. 
When,  therefore,  the  wind  and  waves  were  high, 
the  boat  could  do  nothing  but  continue  on  its 
way.  The  passengers  who  were  carried  beyond 
their  destination  fumed  in  vain ;  they  soon  learned 
that  they  must  make  the  best  of  their  bargain. 

For  three  years  this  first  steamer  made  regular 
trips.  Then  came  a  storm  which  compelled  the 
captain  to  anchor  near  the  shore.  The  storm  in 
creased  ;  the  vessel  was  torn  loose  from  its  anchor 
age  and  was  driven  ashore  so  far  that  the  engi 
neer  was  able  to  wade  to  land.  The  passengers 
and  all  their  effects  w^ere  saved.  But  the  vessel 
was  a  total  wreck,  though  the  engines  and  boilers 
were  found  to  be  uninjured.  They  were  transferred 
to  the  successor  of  the  Walk-in-the- Water,  which 
was  built  at  once. 

The  new  boat  was  built  at  Buffalo,  though  the 
citizens  of  Black  Rock,  then  a  more  important 
port  not  far  away,  argued  that  Buffalo  Creek  was 
too  shallow  for  the  purpose.  Buffalo  people  there 
upon  promised  to  dredge  the  creek,  and  accord 
ingly  they  made  a  crude  scraper  out  of  a  log 
"  sawed  in  half  lengthwise  and  armed  at  the  edge 
with  large  saw  blades.  This  crude  and  unwieldy 
device  was  floated  into  place  by  a  crane  and 
dropped  to  the  bottom.  It  was  then  dragged  out 


EARLY  STEAMBOAT  DAYS  241 

by  oxen."  The  work  was  done  by  the  citizens 
of  the  town,  who  thus  laid  the  foundations  of 
Buffalo's  greatness. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  immense  fleet 
of  steam  vessels  that  to-day  make  the  Great  Lakes 
the  busiest  waterway  in  the  world. 

Source.  CHAXXIXG  and  LANSING.  The  Story  of  the  Great  Lakes. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 


After  their  triumphs  on  the  Hudson  River,  Robert  Fulton  and 
his  partner  turned  their  attention  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers.  Soon  the  day  of  the  unwieldy  flatboat,  the  picturesque 
barge,  and  the  popular  keel  boat  was  at  an  end.  At  last  the 


way  to  the  West  was  open. 


v^^ 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

THE  FIRST  STEAMBOAT  ON  THE  OHIO 

Until  1811  transportation  on  the  Ohio  and  Mis 
sissippi  rivers  was  by  means  of  keel  boats,  barges, 
and  flatboats.  The  keel  boat  is  described  as  being 
"long  and  slender,  sharp  fore  and  aft,  with  a  nar 
row  gangway  just  within  the  gunwale,  for  the 
boatmen  as  they  poled  up  the  stream  "  when  they 
were  unable  to  use  their  oars.  Sometimes  a  low 
house  covered  the  keel  boat,  and  it  was  then  called 
a  barge.  The  flatboat  was  "  an  unwieldy  box,  and 
was  broken  up,  for  the  lumber  it  contained,  on  its 
arrival  at  its  destination."  Of  course  it  was  useful 
only  in  going  downstream.  Many  of  the  early  im 
migrants  loaded  their  goods  on  flatboats,  traveled 
by  water  as  far  as  possible,  then  sold  their  means  of 
transportation,  and  completed  their  journey  by  land. 

The  success  of  Fulton's  Hudson  River  steam 
boat  led  many  people  to  wonder  if  boats  could  not 

242 


FIRST  STEAMBOAT  ON  THE  OHIO       243 

be  constructed  for  use  west  of  Pittsburgh.  The 
fact  that  ever-increasing  multitudes  were  seeking 
new  homes  in  the  West  made  steamboats  on  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  seem  very  desirable.  But 
those  who  knew  the  rivers  best  felt  that  owing  to 


THE  NEW  ORLEANS 
From  a  reproduction 

the  treacherous  currents  and  the  shifting  channels, 
steamboat  traffic  would  be  impossible. 

Finally  it  was  decided  by  Nicholas  J.  Roosevelt, 
Chancellor  Livingston,  and  Robert  Fulton  to  make 
a  careful  study  of  these  currents  and,  if  the  results 
were  favorable,  to  build  a  boat  run  by  steam. 

In  1809  Mr.  Roosevelt,  who  agreed  to  make 
the  necessary  investigations,  floated  on  a  flatboat 


244      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

to  New  Orleans,  carrying  on  his  investigations  as 
he  went.  Mrs.  Roosevelt,  who  accompanied  her 
husband,  said  of  the  trip: 

The  journey  in  the  flatboat  commenced  at  Pittsburgh, 
where  Mr.  Roosevelt  had  it  built ;  a  huge  box  containing  a 
comfortable  bedroom,  dining  room,  pantry,  and  a  room  in 
front  for  the  crew,  with  a  fireplace  where  the  cooking  was 
done.  The  top  of  the  boat  was  flat,  with  seats  and  an  awn 
ing.  We  had  on  board  a  pilot,  three  hands,  and  a  man  cook. 
We  always  stopped  at  night,  lashing  the  boat  to  the  shore. 
The  row  boat  was  a  large  one,  in  which  Mr.  Roosevelt  went 
out  constantly  with  two  or  three  of  the  men  to  ascertain  the 
rapidity  of  the  ripple  or  current. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  stopped  at  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
and  Natchez,  then  the  only  places  of  any  impor 
tance  between  Pittsburgh  and  New  Orleans.  To 
the  leading  men  of  these  towns  he  stated  his  be 
lief  that  steamboats  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
could  be  run  successfully.  River  men  as  well  as 
business  men  laughed  at  him,  declaring  that  he 
was  an  idle  dreamer. 

But  he  went  ahead  with  his  arrangements,  for 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  build  a  steamboat 
on  his  return  to  Pittsburgh.  So  confident  was  he 
of  the  ultimate  success  of  the  project  that  he  pur 
chased  and  opened  coal  mines  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio,  and  arranged  that  heaps  of  coal  should  be 


FIRST  STEAMBOAT  ON  THE  OHIO      245 

stored  on  the  shore,  in  readiness  for  the  vessel  he 
was  sure  would  need  the  fuel  for  its  engines. 

From  New  Orleans  he  went  to  New  York  by 
sea.  There  capitalists  were  interested  in  his  report. 
In  1811  he  found  himself  in  Pittsburgh,  ready  to 
work  on  the  steamboat. 

Men  were  sent  to  the  forests  to  cut  timber  for 
ribs,  knees,  and  beams.  These  were  rafted  down 
the  Monongahela  to  the  shipyard.  Planking  was 
cut  from  white-pine  logs  in  the  old-fashioned  saw 
pits.  A  shipbuilder  and  the  mechanics  required 
were  brought  from  New  York. 

Curious  visitors  watched  the  growth  of  the  frame 
and  prophesied  failure.  But  Mr.  Roosevelt  smiled  at 
their  doubts. 

At  last  the  boat,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet 
long,  was  ready,  and  was  christened  the  New 
Orleans.  There  was  a  ladies'  cabin  containing 
four  berths.  One  of  these  Mrs.  Roosevelt  an 
nounced  her  intention  of  occupying.  Friends  in 
Pittsburgh  appealed  to  her  to  give  up  the  dangerous 
project,  but  she  insisted  that  there  was  no  danger; 
she  believed  in  her  husband. 

"  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  herself  were  the  only  pas 
sengers,"  wrote  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe,  Mrs.  Roosevelt's 
brother,  in  his  account  of  the  trip.  '  There  was  a 
captain,  an  engineer,  the  pilot,  six  hands,  two 


246      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

female  servants,  a  man  waiter,  a  cook,  and  an  im 
mense  Newfoundland  dog.  Thus  equipped,  the 
New  Orleans  began  the  voyage  which  changed 
the  relation  of  the  West  —  which  may  almost  be 
said  to  have  changed  its  destiny." 

Eager  watchers  at  Pittsburgh  saw  the  vessel 
swing  into  the  stream  and  disappear  round  the 
first  headlands ;  their  prophecies  of  disaster  at  the 
very  start  had  not  been  fulfilled.  The  pilot,  the  cap 
tain,  and  the  crew  had  their  misgivings,  but  these 
were  soon  set  at  rest  by  the  behavior  of  the  boat. 

At  Cincinnati,  which  was  reached  on  the  second 
day  after  leaving  Pittsburgh,  an  enthusiastic  crowd 
welcomed  the  vessel.  But  still  there  were  doubters. 
"  Well,  you  are  as  good  as  your  wrord ;  you  have 
visited  us  in  a  steamboat,"  one  of  them  said.  "  But 
we  see  you  for  the  last  time.  Your  boat  may  go 
down  the  river;  but  as  to  coming  up  it,  the  very 
idea  is  an  absurd  one."  The  keel-boatmen  shook 
their  heads  as  they  crowded  around  the  strange 
visitor.  "  Some  flat-boatmen  whose  ungainly  arks 
the  steamboat  had  passed  a  short  distance  above 
the  town,  and  who  now  floated  by  with  the  cur 
rent,  seemed  to  have  a  better  opinion  of  the  new 
comers.  They  proposed  a  tow  in  case  they  were 
again  overtaken !  But  as  to  the  boat's  returning, 
all  agreed  that  could  never  be." 


247 


248      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

The  doubters  in  Cincinnati  were  convinced  when 
the  boat  returned  from  Louisville,  having  been 
stopped  by  the  lack  of  sufficient  water  to  carry 
it  over  the  Falls. 

When  the  stage  of  water  was  right,  Louisville  was 
safely  passed.  Then  began  days  of  anxiety,  not  due 
to  the  steamer's  failure  to  mind  her  helm,  but  to 
the  great  earthquake  of  1811,  which  struck  terror 
to  the  hearts  of  thousands,  changed  river  channels, 
and  worked  other  transformations  in  the  physical 
appearance  of  the  country  for  hundreds  of  miles. 

At  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  scores  of  people 
begged  to  be  taken  on  board.  They  reported  that 
the  earth  had  opened  and  that  many  houses  and 
their  inhabitants  had  been  swallowed  up.  Other 
settlers  hid  from  the  boat,  thinking  that  its  ap 
pearance  was  a  part  of  the  calamity  that  had 
overtaken  the  town. 

Indians  too  were  frightened  at  the  approach  of 
the  steamer.  They  felt  that  the  smoke  from  her 
stacks  had  something  to  do  with  the  heavy  atmos 
phere  which  accompanied  the  earthquake,  and  that 
she  was  to  be  accounted  for  in  much  the  same 
way  as  the  great  comet  that  had  appeared  in  the 
heavens.  Once,  when  the  sound  of  escaping  steam 
was  heard,  it  was  thought  that  the  comet  had  fallen 
into  the  river. 


FIRST  STEAMBOAT  ON  THE  OHIO       249 

One  night  the  New  Orleans  anchored  just  below 
an  island.  In  the  morning  the  vessel  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  At  first  it  was  thought  that 
she  was  adrift.  But  it  was  found  that  the  hawser 
with  which  the  vessel  had  been  moored  still  held. 
Then  it  was  evident  what  had  happened:  during 
the  night  the  island  had  disappeared,  having  been 
broken  up  by  an  earthquake.  Fragments  of  sod, 
earth,  and  floating  trees  proved  this. 

At  last  the  New  Orleans  passed  out  of  the  field 
of  the  earthquake,  and  once  more  there  was  quiet. 
Natchez  and  New  Orleans  were  reached  in  good 
time,  and  the  voyage  of  the  first  steamboat  on  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  was  ended. 

Source.  }.  H.  B.  LATROBE.  The  First  Steamboat  in  Western  Waters 
Published  by  the  Maryland  Historical  Society. 


After  the  steamboat  came  the  railway.  Many  laughed  at  the 
dreams  of  enthusiasts  who  said  the  new  means  of  conveyance 
would  displace  the  canals  and  that  railways  would  soon  be  seen 
"  meandering  "  everywhere.  But  the  dreamers  persisted,  and  the 
fourth  chapter  in  the  story  of  American  transportation  was  begun. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

EARLY  RAILROAD  DREAMERS 

The  introduction  of  steamboats  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  caused  a  rapid  increase  in  the  trade 
of  the  East  with  the  West.  Cincinnati,  Louisville, 
and  New  Orleans  grew  in  importance.  Cities  of 
the  East  became  rivals  for  the  trade  of  these  im 
portant  centers,  and  improvements  in  transportation 
were  planned  by  many  of  them.  Each  wanted  to 
grow,  even  at  the  expense  of  its  neighbor. 

New  York's  plans  to  capture  the  trade  of  the 
West  included  the  building  of  a  system  of  canals 
connecting  the  Hudson  River  and  the  Great  Lakes. 
By  October,  1825,  it  was  possible  to  transport 
freight  from  New  York  City  to  Utica,  by  means 
of  the  Hudson  River  and  the  Erie  Canal. 

Already  Baltimore  had  an  advantage  because 
of  the  great  Cumberland  Road,  and  she  planned 

to  increase  this  advantage  by  other  public  works. 

250 


EARLY  RAILROAD  DREAMERS 


251 


Citizens  of  Philadelphia  were  eager  to  perfect  a 
system  of  canals  and  roads  as  far  west  as  Pitts 
burgh.  Many  pamphlets  were  printed  urging  the 
importance  of  various  routes,  and  the  necessity  of 
action  if  Philadelphia  were  to  distance  its  only 
rivals,  "  New  Orleans,  Baltimore,  and  New  York." 

Some  of  these 
canals  were  built. 
But  there  were 
those  who  argued 
that  instead  of 
canals,  railroads 
should  be  built. 
A  curious  pam 
phlet  published 

AugUSt      I,      1825,         HORSE-DRIVEN  LOCOMOTIVE,  BALTIMORE 
,   ,!  AND  OHIO  RAILWAY,  1830 

compared  the  cost 

of  transporting  freight  by  railroad  and  by  canal,  and 

showed  that  the  cost  by  rail  would  be  much  less. 

In  his  estimate  the  author  spoke  of  a  railway 
where  horses  are  employed  as  the  moving  power, 
on  which  one  man  "  could  direct  7  horses,  a  number 
sufficient  to  transport  100  tons  3  miles  per  hour." 

Then  he  added  what  must  have  seemed,  at  that 
time,  a  daring  reference  to  a  steam  locomotive 
which  had  been  tested  in  England.  '  The  engine 
was  of  eight  horse  power,  and  consumed  five  pecks 


252      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

of  coals  every  hour,  or  ten  bushels  for  eight  hours. 
It  drew,  in  addition  to  its  own  weight,  which  was 
five  tons,  32  tons  and  8  cwt.  three  miles  and 
three-quarters  per  hour."  He  estimated  that  with 
such  a  locomotive,  on  a  well-built  roadbed,  freight 
could  be  carried  one  hundred  miles  in  twenty-six 
and  one-half  hours ! 

After  making  this  somewhat  startling  comparison, 
the  author  triumphantly  added : 

May  we  not  confidently  expect  the  period  when  canals 
will  no  longer  be  generally  used  ;  and  that  rail  roads  will 
be  known  as  the  most  rational  medium  of  conveyance  ?  We 
shall  then  behold  them  meandering  through  every  district 
where  man  has  fixed  his  habitation.  The  inhabitants  of 
America,  from  Mexico  to  Hudson's  Bay  —  of  Astoria  on 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  Philadelphia  on  the  Atlantic  —  will, 
by  this  invention  be  converted  into  neighbors ;  and  the 
blessings  of  commercial  intercourse  be  universally  diffused  ; 
binding  together  our  species  in  peace  and  friendship,  by  the 
indissoluble  band  of  community  of  interest. 

Public-spirited  men  in  New  York  were  not  idle. 
They  proposed  many  plans  for  railways  which 
would  pass  Philadelphia  by.  One  of  the  most 
curious  of  these  proposals  was  for  the  Atlantic  and 
Michigan  Railway,  made  in  a  pamphlet  published 
in  1829.  The  route  was  to  be  through  northern 
New  Jersey,  southern  New  York,  northern  Ohio, 


EARLY  RAILROAD  DREAMERS  253 

Indiana,  and  Illinois,  to  the  Mississippi  River  at 
Rock  Island.  No  attention  was  paid  to  existing 
cities.  Even  Cleveland,  Sandusky,  and  St.  Louis 
were  disregarded.  There  was  no  thought  of  going 
near  Chicago,  for  no  one  had  begun  to  dream 
that  Chicago  would  be  of  importance.  It  was  not 


JUNCTION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  CANAL  AND  THE  RAILROAD 

even  proposed  to  start  at  New  York,  but  at  a 
point  near  by,  which  could  be  reached  "  by  steam 
ferry-boats." 

It  was  argued  by  the  projectors  that  this  railway 
would  "be  far  more  beneficial  in  its  effects  on  the 
intervening  country,  and  on  our  national  prosperity, 
than  to  turn  the  Mississippi  itself  into  the  same 
course,"  and  they  declared  that  it  "  would  open  to 


254      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

immediate  occupation  immense  tracts  of  the  public 
lands,  of  the  most  exuberant  fertility." 

One  early  Pennsylvania  enthusiast  wrote  of  the 
possibility  of  building  a  railroad  on  piles ;  he  urged 
this  as  a  cheap  method  of  construction.  But  it 
was  in  Ohio  that  this  method  was  first  tried.  In 


STAGECOACH  ON  RAILS 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 

1836  plans  were  made  for  the  Ohio  Railroad 
from  the  Pennsylvania  state  line  to  what  is  now 
Toledo,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  miles.  After  three  years  of  preparation  work 
was  begun.  The  first  pile  was  driven  near  Fremont, 
Ohio.  This  method  of  construction  has  been 
described  by  C.  P.  Leland: 

For  the  use  of  the  road,  ground  one  hundred  feet  in 
width  was  cleared.  .  .  .    The  piles  were  driven  by  a  machine 


EARLY  RAILROAD  DREAMERS  255 

...  the  width  of  the  track.  ...  A  circular  saw  ...  cut  the 
pile  to  the  proper  grade,  when  the  driver  was  moved  and 
the  operation  repeated.  These  machines  employed  eight 
men  and  drove  about  forty  miles  per  day,  covering  some 
twenty  rods  in  distance.  Upon  the  head  of  each  pair  of 
piles  was  fitted  a  tie.  .  .  .  Half  a  pint  of  salt  was  deposited 
in  the  auger  hole  of  each  pile,  which,  permeating  the  wood 
was  expected  materially  to  preserve  the  same  from  decay. 
A  locomotive  saw-mill  upon  the  track,  and  behind  the  pile- 
driver,  attended  by  three  men,  prepared  the  rails  at  the  rate 
of  nine  hundred  lineal  feet  per  day.  .  .  .  On  the  wood 
stringers  thus  provided  were  to  be  placed  iron  ("  strap  ")  rails, 
of  the  weight  of  twenty-five  tons  to  the  mile.  Behind  all, 
upon  the  prepared  track,  was  a  foundry  house  for  the 
workmen,  which  moved  with  the  rest  of  the  establishment. 

The  historian  says  that  this  was  "  certainly  a 
unique  railroad-construction-circus.  Its  like  was 
never  seen  before  or  since." 

The  railway  company  soon  discontinued  work, 
and  "  the  railway  on  stilts,"  as  it  has  been  called, 
was  never  in  use. 

Fifty  years  later  some  of  the  piles  were  still 
pointed  out  to  curious  visitors. 

Sources.  C.  P.  LELAND.  The  Ohio  Railroad  (Tract  No.  8 1 ,  West 
ern  Reserve  Historical  Society).  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Facts  and  Arguments  in  Favor  of  Adopting  Railways  in  Preference 
to  Canals  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Philadelphia,  1825. 

LONGLEY  BISHOP.  The  State  Works  of  Pennsylvania.  Yale  Uni 
versity  Press. 


X^WA^VyA^^ 


With  fear  and  trembling  the  first  steam  locomotives  were  tested. 
Would  they  run?  Would  they  stay  on  the  track?  Would  they 
prove  safe  ?  One  queer  contrivance,  after  frightening  the  children 
and  discouraging  the  directors  of  a  railroad,  was  left  to  rust  and  go 
to  pieces.  But  other  experiments  had  a  more  fortunate  outcome. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 

TESTING  EARLY  STEAM  LOCOMOTIVES 

The  first  locomotive  in  the  United  States  came 
from  England.  An  American  engineer,  Horatio 
Allen,  was  sent  to  England  by  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company,  and  ordered  four  locomo 
tives,  one  of  which  was  from  the  shop  of  George 
Stephenson,  England's  first  great  locomotive  builder. 

One  of  these  locomotives,  the  Stourbridge  Lion, 
was  shipped  from  New  York,  by  river  and  canal,  to 
be  tested  on  the  sixteen-and-a-half-mile  road  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Company  from  Honesdale 
to  Carbondale. 

Curious  crowds  were  present  to  witness  the  trial, 
which  was  made  on  August  8,  1829.  Business  was 
at  a  standstill ;  everybody  took  a  holiday  because 
of  the  great  event.  Excitement  was  increased  when 
a  cannon,  which  had  been  borrowed  for  the  occa 
sion,  burst  after  a  few  rounds  had  been  fired. 

256 


TESTING  EARLY  STEAM   LOCOMOTIVES    257 

Mr.  Allen,  who  had  brought  the  Stourbridge 
Lion  from  England,  was  its  engineer.  Years  later 
he  told  in  public  this  story  of  the  trial: 

It  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Lackawaxen,  at  the  com 
mencement  of  the  railroad  connecting  the  canal  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  with  the  coal 
mines,  and  he  who  addresses  you  was  the  only  person 
on  that  locomotive.  The  circumstances  which  led  to  my 
being  alone  on  the  engine  were  these  : 

The  road  had  been  built  in  the  summer ;  the  structure 
was  of  hemlock  timber  with  rails  of  large  dimensions 
notched  on  caps  placed  far  apart.  The  tube  had  cracked 
and  warped  from  exposure  to  the  sun. 

After  about  three  hundred  feet  of  straight  line  the 
road  crossed  Lackawaxen  Creek  on  trestlework  about 
thirty  feet  high,  and  with  a  curve  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  four  hundrejd  feet  radius.  The  impression 
was  very  general  that  the  iron  monster  would  break  down 
the  road,  or  that  it  would  leave  the  track  at  the  curve 
and  plunge  into  the  creek.  My  reply  to  such  apprehension 
was  that  it  was  too  late  to  consider  the  probability  of  such 
occurrences ;  that  there  was  no  other  course  but  to  have  a 
trial  made  of  the  strange  animal  which  had  been  brought 
there  at  great  expense,  but  that  it  was  not  necessary  that 
more  than  one  should  be  involved  in  its  fate ;  that  I  would 
take  the  first  ride  alone,  and  the  time  would  come  when  I 
should  look  back  to  the  incident  with  great  interest. 

As  I  placed  my  hand  on  the  throttle  valve  handle  I  was 
undecided  whether  I  should  move  slowly  or  with  a  fair 
degree  of  speed,  but  holding  that  the  road  would  prove 


258      REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

safe,  and  preferring,  if  we  had  to  go  down,  to  go  hand 
somely,  and  without  any  evidence  of  timidity,  I  started 
with  considerable  velocity,  passed  the  curves  over  the 
creek  safely,  and  was  soon  out  of  hearing  of  the  vast 
assemblage  present.  At  the  end  of  two  or  three  miles 
I  reversed  the  valve  and  returned  without  accident  to 
the  place  of  starting,  having  made  the  first  locomotive 
trip  on  the  western  hemisphere. 

The  engineer  and  the  directors  were  convinced 
that  if  the  power  for  the  cars  was  to  be  supplied 
by  a  locomotive,  the  wooden  rails  then  in  use 
would  have  to  be  replaced  by  iron  rails.  Since  they 
could  not  afford  to  make  the  exchange,  they  turned 
their  thoughts  again  to  mules  and  horses,  with 
which  they  had  been  content  until  word  reached 
them  of  the  success  of  the  locomotive  in  England. 

The  Stourbridge  Lion  was  run  off  the  rails  near  the 
canal  lock,  where  it  was  permitted  to  stand,  an  object 
of  dread  to  all  the  children  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
made  long  detours  to  avoid  passing  the  monster.  When 
winter  came,  a  rough  board  shed  was  built  over  it,  but 
curious  hands  soon  tore  down  planks  enough  .  to  give  an 
unobstructed  view.  There  the  Stourbridge  Lion  stood 
for  fourteen  years.  By  that  time  so  many  parts  had 
been  broken  off  and  carried  away  that  it  was  useless 
as  a  locomotive.  Then  the  boiler  was  taken  to  the 
Carbortdale  shop  of  the  company  to  supply  steam  for  a 
stationary  engine  until  it  was  worn  out,  when  it  was 
consigned  to  the  ignominious  oblivion  of  the  scrap  heap. 


CANAL  BARGE  AT  THE  SUMMIT  OF  THE  ALLEGHENY  PORTAGE 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 


OLD  STATE  PORTAGE  RAILWAY,  CROSSING  ALLEGHENIES 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 

259 


26o      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


The  other  locomotives,  brought  from  England 
at  such  great  cost,  were  never  even  tested ;  indeed, 
their  wheels  never  rested  on  the  rails.  The  last 
known  of  them  is  that  they  were  put  in  a  storage 
warehouse  in  New  York  City. 

But  it  was  only  a  few  months  after  the  trial  of 
the  Stourbridge  Lion  that  the  locomotive  won  its 

right  to  stay  on 
an  American  rail 
way. 

On  August  28, 
1830,011  the  Balti 
more  and  Ohio 
Railway,  the  Tom 
Thumb,  built  by 
Peter  Cooper,  made 
a  trial  trip.  This 
was  not  a  work 
ing  locomotive, 
but  only  a  work 
ing  model,  built  to  show  the  discouraged  directors 
that  steam  power  would  solve  their  difficulties. 
They  were  doubtful  if  a  steam  locomotive  could 
run  around  the  sharp  curves  on  the  line,  but 
Mr.  Cooper  told  them  he  "  could  knock  together 
a  locomotive  which  would  get  a  train  around  the 
Point  of  Rocks." 


THE  TOM  THUMB 


TESTING  EARLY  STEAM   LOCOMOTIVES    261 

This  is  the  story  of  the  building  of  the  loco 
motive  as  told  by  Mr.  Cooper: 

I  told  them  that  if  they  would  hold  on  a  little  while, 
I  would  put  a  small  locomotive  on  the  road  which  I 
thought  would  demonstrate  the  practicability  of  using  steam 
engines  on  the  road,  even  with  all  the  short  turns  in  it. 
I  got  up  a  small  engine  for  that  purpose,  and  put  it  on 
the  road,  and  invited  the  stockholders  to  witness  the 
experiment.  After  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  difficulty 
in  accomplishing  the  work,  the  stockholders  came  and 
thirty-six  men  were  taken  into  a  car,  and,  with  six  men 
on  the  locomotive,  which  carried  its  own  fuel  and  water, 
and  having  to  go  up  hill  eighteen  feet  to  a  mile,  and 
over  all  the  short  turns  around  the  points  of  rocks,  we 
succeeded  in  making  the  thirteen  miles,  on  the  first  pas 
sage  out,  in  an  hour  and  twelve  minutes  ;  and  we  returned 
from  Ellicott's  Mills  to  Baltimore  in  fifty-seven  minutes. 

Encouraged,  the  directors  decided  to  adopt  steam 
for  the  road.  Other  engines  were  built.  The  prob 
lem  of  how  to  go  around  short  curves  was  solved 
by  the  invention  of  an  improved  truck. 

Mr.  Cooper's  quiet  boast,  "  my  contrivance  saved 
the  road  from  bankruptcy,"  was  justified.  His  Tom 
Thumb  had  seen  service  sixty-six  days  before  the 
trial  of  the  first  permanent  locomotive. 

Sources.  CARTER.  When  Railroads  were  New.  Henry  Holt  and 
Company,  New  York. 

RAYMOND.    Peter  Cooper.    Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston. 


In  the  early  days  of  the  railroad  a  man  who  jeered  at  the  plans 
of  railway  builders  declared  that  rapid  railway  travel  would  develop 


a  new  brain  disease.  Business  men  would  be  so  befuddled  that 
they  would  forget  their  destination  and  would  have  to  write  home 
to  find  it.  They  would  be  so  dizzy  on  leaving  the  train  that  they 
would  dash  headforemost  into  the  nearest  obstacle,  and  would  be 
badly  hurt. 

Yet  Americans  were  not  to  be  deterred  from  railroad  building 
by  any  such  prophecies  of  disaster. 


I— 

jrrwfnan 


MYrMYnfrr^rtfYrwrwrwrw 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

A  PIONEER  RAILROAD 

In  1813  Oliver  Evans  of  Pennsylvania  made  a 
prophecy  which  was  looked  on  as  the  dream  of  a 
half-crazed  man.  He  said : 

The  time  will  come  when  people  will  travel  in  stages 
moved  by  steam  engines,  from  one  city  to  another,  almost 
as  fast  as  birds  can  fly,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  an  hour. 
Passing  through  the  air  with  such  velocity  will  be  the  most 
exhilarating  exercise.  To  accomplish  this,  two  sets  of  rail 
ways  will  be  laid,  so  nearly  level  as  not  to  deviate  more  than 
two  degrees  from  the  horizontal,  made  of  wood  or  iron,  on 
smooth  paths  of  broken  stone  or  gravel,  with  a  rail  to  guide 
the  carriages  so  they  may  pass  each  other  in  different  direc 
tions,  and  they  will  travel  by  night  as  well  as  by  day.  Pas 
sengers  will  sleep  in  these  stages  as  comfortably  as  they 
now  do  in  steam  barge  boats.  Twenty  miles  an  hour  is 
about  thirty-two  feet  a  second,  and  the  resistance  of  the  air 

262 


A  PIONEER  RAILROAD  263 

about  one  pound  to  the  square  foot,  but  the  body  of  the  car 
riage  will  be  shaped  like  a  swift  swimming  fish  to  pass 
easily  through  the  air.  The  United  States  will  be  the  first 
nation  to  make  the  discovery  and  her  wealth  and  power  will 
rise  to  an  unparalleled  height. 

In  response  to  such  prophecies  there  came  from 
England  forecasts  of  dreadful  things  that  would 
happen  if  this  reckless  traveling  were  ever  in 
dulged  in.  One  man  wrote : 

Reader,  how  would  you  like  to  be  put  in  a  box  like  a 
coach  or  a  sedan  and  be  dropped  out  of  the  window  of  the 
fifth  or  sixth  flat  of  a  house.  Sixty-six  miles  an  hour  is  the 
highest  velocity  attained  by  falling  bodies  in  one  hundred 
feet.  Even  supposing  that  means  were  found  to  abate  one- 
half  of  the  violent  shock  in  stopping,  enough  remains  to 
terrify  considerate  men  from  risking  their  persons  in  such 
species  of  conveyance.  Till  we  have  bodies  of  brass  or  iron, 
or  better  methods  of  protecting  them  than  we  have  now,  it 
is  preposterous  to  talk  of  traveling  fifty  or  sixty  miles  an 
hour  as  a  practical  thing. 

In  spite  of  all  such  forebodings,  railroads  were 
built.  In  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  and  else 
where  horse-power  railways  were  constructed,  and 
the  people  who  used  them  thought  them  marvels 
of  speed.  But  the  honor  of  having  the  first  rail 
road  to  declare  for  steam  power  belongs  to  the 
South.  The  Charleston  and  Hamburg  Railroad 
was  chartered  by  the  South  Carolina  legislature 


264      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

May  12,  1828,  to  build  from  Charleston  to  the 
Savannah  River,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  miles. 
Horatio  Allen,  the  chief  engineer  engaged  by  the 
new  line,  at  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors 
in  1830,  recommended  the  adoption  of  the  steam 
locomotive,  for  he  declared  that  "  there  was  no 


THE  DE  WITT  CLINTON  AND  THE  FIRST  TRAIN   IN  NEW 
YORK  STATE,  1831 

reason  to  expect  any  material  improvement  in  the 
breed  of  horses,  but  the  man  was  not  living  who 
knew  what  the  breed  of  locomotives  was  to  place 
at  command."  The  directors  had  experimented  in 
the  use  of  sail  power,  and  had  found  this  unsatis 
factory.  They  had  also  paid  five  hundred  dollars 
to  the  man  who  devised  the  best  scheme  for  draw 
ing  cars  by  horses,  but  they  were  not  satisfied 


A  PIONEER  RAILROAD  265 

with  the  performance  of  the  prize  contrivance, 
although  this  enabled  one  horse  to  draw  a  car  with 
twelve  passengers  at  a  speed  of  twelve  miles  an 
hour.  So  they  were  readily  persuaded  to  adopt  the 
suggestion  of  their  engineer. 

The  engine  built  for  the  new  road,  the  first 
locomotive  constructed  in  America,  was  called 
'  The  Best  Friend  of  Charleston."  It  had  an  up 
right  boiler  that  looked  like  a  gigantic  bottle.  The 
smoke  escaped  through  openings  in  the  sides  of 
the  boiler. 

The  trial  trip  was  made  on  November  2,  1830. 
'  The  wheels  proved  to  be  so  weak  that  one  of 
them  sprang  out  of  shape  and  threw  the  engine 
into  the  ditch  on  the  return  trip.  A  second  trip 
was  made  on  December  14,  and  a  third  on  the 
following  day,  when  the  Best  Friend  proved  to 
possess  power  double  the  contract  requirements. 
It  was  able  to  make  sixteen  to  twenty-one  miles 
an  hour  with  forty  or  fifty  passengers  in  four  or 
five  cars,  and  to  attain  a  speed  of  thirty-five  miles 
an  hour  without  cars." 

The  engineer  on  these  trial  trips,  named  Dar- 
rell,  the  foreman  in  a  Charleston  machine  shop, 
was  so  delighted  with  his  experience  that  he  gave 
up  his  job  as  machinist  to  become  the  first  regular 
locomotive  engineer  in  America.  The  Best  Friend 


266      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

came  very  near  killing  him  a  few  months  later. 
Not  liking  the  noise  of  steam  escaping  from  the 
safety  valve,  the  negro  fireman  fastened  it  shut. 
The  boiler  exploded,  scalding  Darrell  severely  and 
so  injuring  the  fireman  that  he  died  two  days 
later.  After  that  the  locomotive  was  regarded  with 


PASSENGER  STATION  AND  HOTEL   IN  THE  ALLEGHENY  MOUNTAINS 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 

suspicion.  For  a  long  time  a  "  barrier  car "  piled 
high  with  cotton  bales  was  interposed  between  the 
locomotive  and  the  train  to  protect  passengers 
from  possible  explosions. 

Regular  passenger  service  was  instituted  Janu 
ary  15,  1831.  Two  coaches  were  attached  to  the 
engine  of  the  first  train.  These,  like  most  of  the 


A  PIONEER  RAILROAD  267 

early  passenger  cars,  were  really  stagecoaches  on 
wheels.  At  that  time  no  one  thought  of  departing 
from  this  design. 

A  bride  and  groom  from  New  York  state  were 
visiting  friends  in  Charleston  at  the  time.  When 
the  bride  heard  that  a  steam  locomotive  was  to 
make  its  first  trip  drawing  a  trainload  of  passen 
gers,  -she  begged  to  go  along.  She  was  so  enthu 
siastic  over  the  experience  that  on  her  return  home 
she  continued  to  talk  about  it.  Her  enthusiasm 
aroused  the  interest  of  her  father-in-law,  who  had 
long  been  interested  in  a  plan  to  provide  trans 
portation  facilities  for  central  New  York  by  means 
of  canals  and  a  horse-power  railway.  When  his 
daughter-in-law  .said  she  was  sure  a  steam  railway 
like  that  in  South  Carolina  would  enable  passen 
gers  to  go  from  New  York  to  Buffalo  in  twenty- 
four  hours,  her  statement  won  his  attention.  The 
estimate  was  thought  to  be  extravagant,  but  her 
father-in-law  was  led  to  change  his  plans,  and  to 
persuade  others  to  do  the  same  thing.  The  build 
ing  of  the  Erie  Railroad  was  the  result.  The  bride's 
prophecy  was  soon  more  than  justified. 

To  the  engineer  of  the  South  Carolina  road  was 
due  another  epoch-making  suggestion.  The  rails 
of  the  road  were  of  wood,  six  by  twelve  inches. 
On  these  was  spiked  strap  iron  half  an  inch  thick 


268      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

by  two  and  a  half  inches  wide.  This  structure  was 
so  weak  that  the  engineer  suggested  dividing  the 
weight  of  the  engine  by  constructing  it  with  six 
and  even  eight  wheels  and  limiting  the  load  on 
each  wheel  to  a  ton  and  a  half.  Immediately  Mr. 
Allen  designed  a  locomotive  according  to  his  pro 
posal  which  had  one  pair  of  drivers  behind  and 
a  four-wheeled  truck  forward.  Charles  F.  Carter 
says :  "  The  merits  of  the  four-wheeled  truck  were 
so  obvious  that  it  was  universally  adopted.  With 
out  it  the  railroad  could  not  have  been  developed." 
The  first  locomotive  with  such  a  truck  succeeded 
in  drawing  four  cars  containing  one  hundred  and 
seventeen  passengers  a  distance  of  two  and  three- 
fourths  miles  in  eleven  minutes. 

Sources.  CHARLES  F.  CARTER.  When  Railroads  were  New.  Henry 
Holt  and  Company,  New  York. 

KENNEDY.  Wonders  and  Curiosities  of  the  Railway.  Hurst  and  Co., 
New  York. 


Think  of  a  locomotive  with  wooden  spokes  and  wrought-iron 
tires,  which  was  so  light  that  four  men  could  start  it  by  pushing. 
These  were  features  of  "  Old  Ironsides,"  the  mighty  engine  that 
was  the  pride  of  Philadelphia  in  1832,  when  it  made  its  first  trip 
on  the  six-mile  road  to  Germantown. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX 

THE  BUILDING  OF  "OLD  IRONSIDES" 

In  1831  there  was  much  interest  in  America  in 
the  description  of  the  locomotives  which  had  been 
built  in  England.  Everybody  was  curious  to  see 
one  of  these  strange  contrivances.  Franklin  Peale, 
the  manager  of  the  Philadelphia  Museum,  thought 
that  if  he  could  exhibit  a  model,  crowds  would  be 
attracted.  So  he  asked  Matthias  Baldwin,  a  Phila 
delphia  manufacturer,  to  make  a  miniature  locomo 
tive.  After  a  careful  study  of  published  descriptions 
and  sketches  of  locomotives  exhibited  in  England, 
Mr.  Baldwin  completed  an  engine  which  was,  on 
April  15,  1831,  placed  in  the  Museum  on  a  circular 
track  of  pine  boards,  surfaced  with  hoop  iron. 

The  officers  of  the  Germantown  and  Norristown 
Railway,  who  operated  by  horse  power  a  line  six 
miles  long,  were  encouraged  by  the  success  of  the 

model  to  commission  the  young  locomotive  builder 

269 


270 


REAL  STORIES   FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


to  construct  a  practical  engine  for  the  line.  The 
Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  Company  had  im 
ported  a  locomotive  from  England.  Mr.  Baldwin 
sought  the  building  where  the  parts,  which  had 
not  yet  been  assembled,  were  stored.  He  carefully 
observed  the  various  parts  of  the  machine,  made  a 


few  measurements  and  at  last  crept  under  the  pon 
derous  boiler.  Here  he  remained  in  absorbed  study 
for  nearly  half  an  hour.  As  he  emerged  from  his 
retreat,  his  face  was  glowing  with  enthusiasm  and 
he  exclaimed,  *  I  can  make  it.' " 

He  succeeded  in  making  a  practical  locomotive, 
not   entirely   according    to   the    measurements    and 


THE  BUILDING  OF  "OLD   IRONSIDES"      271 

details   of  the   model   at   Camden,  but   introducing 
many   improvements. 

The  work  on  this  memorable  pioneer  among  American 
locomotives  occupied  about  six  months.  It  was  driven  for 
ward  under  a  pressure  of  difficulties  which  would  have  dis 
heartened  a  less  determined  man.  Not  the  least  of  these 
was  the  lack  of  any  place  to  do  the  heavy  forging.  The 
only  blacksmith  shop  in  the  factory  was  in  the  cellar,  and 
all  the  unwieldy  work  on  the  engine  had  to  be  done  in  other 
establishments.  The  cylinders  were  bored  by  a  chisel  fixed 
in  a  block  of  wood  and  turned  with  a  crank  worked  by 
hand.  Mr.  Baldwin  not  only  did  much  of  the  work  with 
his  own  hands,  but  trained  the  workmen  who  assisted  him, 
and  devised  tools  at  every  stage  of  progress. 

At  length,  in  spite  of  obstacles,  "  Old  Ironsides," 
as  the  locomotive  came  to  be  called,  was  completed. 

The  trial  trip  was  gratifying.  A  speed  of  twenty- 
eight  miles  an  hour  was  developed.  The  Philadel 
phia  Chronicle  of  November  24,  1832,  in  rejoicing 
over  the  success  of  the  experiment,  made  the 
prophecy  that  the  city's  mechanics  "  will  hereafter 
supply  nearly  all  the  public  works  of  this  descrip 
tion  in  the  country." 

"Old  Ironsides"  weighed  seven  tons.  The 
directors  thought  seriously  of  rejecting  it  because 
it  was  too  heavy,  yet,  when  the  time  came  for 
the  trial  trip,  the  discovery  was  made  that  addi 
tional  weight  was  needed  to  keep  it  on  the  track. 


272      REAL  STORIES  EROM   OUR  HISTORY 


"THE  TRAVELER,"  BALTIMORE  AND 
OHIO  RAILROAD 


This  was  supplied 
when  the  builder 
and  two  mechan 
ics  jumped  aboard, 
after  pushing  the 
engine  until  the 
wheels  were  mov 
ing  rapidly. 

Then  came  the 
disconcerting  dis 
covery  that  the 
boiler  was  too 
small  to  generate  a  constant  supply  of  steam.  The 
deficiency  was  remedied  by  the  three  extra  men  on 
the  engine,  who 
alighted  from  time 
to  time  and  pushed 
until  there  was 
enough  steam  for 
further  unaided 
progress. 

On  another  oc 
casion  it  was  found 
that  the  new  loco 
motive  would  not 
run  when  the  rails 

"THE  YORK,"  BALTIMORE  AND  OHIO 

were  wet ;  the  use  RAILROAD,  issi 


273 


274      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

of  sand  had  not  yet  been  thought  of  as  a  solu 
tion  of  the  difficulty.  Consequently  the  advertise 
ment  in  Poulson's  American  Daily  Advertiser,  of 
November  26,  1832,  declared  that  "  the  locomo 
tive  engine  will  depart  daily  when  the  weather  is 
fair,  with  a  train  of  passenger  cars.  On  rainy  days 
horses  will  be  attached." 

Still  another  difficulty  stood  in  Mr.  Baldwin's 
way.  "  No  engineers  in  the  country  were  prepared 
to  run  the  new  machine.  There  was  only  one  man 
in  the  shop  besides  Mr.  Baldwin  who  understood 
her  construction  well  enough  to  make  a  successful 
trip  with  her.  He  was  taken  sick  at  the  beginning 
of  her  career.  Others  were  tried,  and  soon  lost  all 
patience  with  the  intricate  work.  Day  after  day 
the  president  of  the  road,  who  had  insisted  from  the 
first  that  there  were  radical  defects  in  the  machine, 
threatened  to  condemn  the  work,  and  throw  it 
back  on  Mr.  Baldwin's  hands." 

Mr.  Baldwin's  biographer  says  that  one  of  the 
few  moments  of  despondency  in  his  whole  life  was 
occasioned  by  the  ungracious  reception  awarded 
to  this  machine.  In  the  spring  of  1833,  when  he 
finally  received  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  for  his 
work  (five  hundred  dollars  less  than  the  contract 
price),  he  remarked  to  one  of  his  apprentices  with 
much  decision,  "  That  is  our  last  locomotive." 


THE  BUILDING  OF  "OLD   IRONSIDES"      275 

The  depression  was  only  momentary.  "  Old 
Ironsides"  did  its  work  well.  In  fact,  after  many 
years  of  hard  service,  the  engine  is  still  in  run 
ning  order.  It  is  kept  in  the  Baldwin  Locomotive 
Works  in  Philadelphia. 

Though  Mr.  Baldwin  was  eager  for  an  oppor 
tunity  to  build  another  locomotive,  he  did  not 
receive  a  second  order  for  several  years.  The  new 
engine  was  such  a  great  improvement  on  the  first 
attempt  that  many  other  orders  followed.  A  few 
years  later  nothing  but  locomotives  was  produced 
in  Mr.  Baldwin's  factory. 

Source.  WOLCOTT  CALKINS.  Life  of  M.  W.  Baldwin.  Privately 
printed,  1867. 


American  ingenuity  was  put  to  the  test  in  the  early  years  of  the 
railroads.  The  almost  daily  call  for  the  solution  of  difficult  prob 
lems  was  answered  by  the  invention  of  new  devices.  But  always 
men  were  equal  to  the  emergency  of  the  moment,  and  passengers 
were  transported  with  what  seemed  marvelous  rapidity. 


CHAPTER  XL 

PRIMITIVE  RAILROAD  CONTRIVANCES 

The  builders  of  a  few  of  the  earlier  railroads 
made  their  tracks  five  feet  between  the  rails ; 
"  five-foot  gauge  roads  "  they  were  called.  Among 
these  early  railroads  were  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
and  the  Louisville  and  Nashville.  The  Erie  Rail 
road  adopted  a  six-foot  gauge.  The  engineer  of 
the  Erie,  noting  that  the  trend  of  railway  building 
was  for  a  narrow  gauge,  urged  his  directors  to 
change  their  plans.  They  hesitated  because  of 
the  expense  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  that 
would  be  involved.  For  forty  years  they  were  able 
to  conduct  the  road  on  the  old  basis.  Then  they 
realized  that  the  continued  existence  of  the  road 
depended  on  a  change,  and  this  was  made  at  an 
expense  of  twenty-five  million  dollars. 

For  many  years  the  people  thought  it  an  ad 
vantage  to  have  roads  of  different  gauge.  It  never 

276 


PRIMITIVE  RAILROAD   CONTRIVANCES      277 

occurred  to  them  that  it  would  be  a  wonderful 
help  if  trains  could  run  through  for  hundreds  of 
miles  over  the  lines  of  different  roads.  Towns 
and  cities  which  were  the  terminal  points  of  short 
roads  preferred  to  have  the  journey  broken  by  the 
passengers,  so  that  the  hackmen,  the  restaurants, 
and  the  hotels  might  profit  by  the  delay  caused 
by  the  transfer  of  passengers.  For  this  reason 


"JOHN  BULL"  LOCOMOTIVE  AND  TRAIN,  PENNSYLVANIA  RAILROAD 

union  depots  were  not  looked  upon  with  favor: 
the  farther  apart  depots  were,  the  better.  When 
the  first  railway  entered  Chicago,  the  residents 
were  up  in  arms  against  the  proposition  made  by 
the  Michigan  Central  and  the  Illinois  Central  to 
enter  on  the  same  tracks  and  make  use  of  the 
same  station. 

To  such  an  extent  was  this  division  of  roads 
carried  that  when,  in  1857,  the  Ohio  and  Missis 
sippi  Railway  opened  the  route  from  Cincinnati 


278      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

to  St.  Louis,  the  passes  issued  to  New  York  guests 
were  indorsed  by  the  officers  of  forty-two  roads. 
Of  course  it  was  not  necessary  to  pass  over  all 
these  roads,  but  the  privilege  was  given  of  using 
any  of  them  in  choosing  the  route.  The  guests 


FREIGHT  CAR,  1832 

who  used  a  special  train  left  Baltimore  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  i,  1857,  and  ar 
rived  in  Grafton,  two  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
miles  distant,  in  fifteen  hours.  The  night  was 
spent  there,  and  Parkersburg  was  reached  next 
day.  The  party  then  took  steamers  twelve  miles  to 
Marietta.  The  next  night  was  spent  in  Chillicothe, 


PRIMITIVE  RAILROAD   CONTRIVANCES      279 


then  the  capital  of  Ohio,  and  the  following  night 
at  Cincinnati.  Thence  the  journey  to  St.  Louis 
was  made  with  comparative  ease. 

In  1846  the  Erie  Railroad  talked  of  changing 
their  gauge  from  six  feet  to  the  standard  width.  The 

citizens    of    Erie     , , 

protested.  Finally 
they  tore  up  por 
tions  of  seven 
miles  of  the  Erie's 
track,  and  passen 
gers  had  to  be 
transferred  across 
the  gap  in  the  dead 
of  winter.  This 
trip,  called  "cross 
ing  the  isthmus," 
was  much  dreaded 
by  the  passengers, 
many  of  whom  had 
feet,  hands,  and 
faces  frostbitten. 

It  is  related  as  a  curiosity  of  railroad  history 
that  the  gauge  of  roads  in  Ohio  was  made  by  law 
four  feet  and  ten  inches  because  an  engine  with 
a  whistle  had  been  brought  into  the  state.  The 
gauge  of  the  engine  was  four  feet  and  ten  inches, 


THE  FIRST  TRAIN  FROM   BALTIMORE  TO 
ST.  LOUIS,   BALTIMORE  AND   OHIO   RAIL 
ROAD,  1857 


280      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 


and  all  future  track  laid  was  to  be  of  the  same  width, 
that  similar  engines  might  be  used  —  as  if  a  whistle 
could  not  be  put  on  an  engine  of  standard  gauge! 
Of  course  this  law  was  changed  before  long. 

It  is  recorded  by  Carter  that  "  the  problem  of 
gauge  was  not   finally  settled   by  the   railroads   of 

the  United  States 
until  1886.  Be 
tween  May  22 
and  June  2  of 
that  year  twelve 
thousand  miles 
of  railroad  in 
the  South  were 
changed  from 


wide     to     stand- 

3^     gaUgC.       The 
.        ... 

Louisville  and 
Nashville,  by  using  a  force  of  8763  men,  was  able 
to  change  the  gauge  of  1806  miles  of  main  line 
and  sidings  in  a  single  day." 

Other  changes  in  the  construction  of  railway 
equipment  came  about  much  more  easily.  For 
instance,  the  early  conductors  had  no  way  of  com 
municating  with  the  engineer  when  the  train  was 
in  motion.  One  conductor  on  the  Erie  thought 
out  a  scheme  to  obviate  the  difficulty.  He  stretched 


"THE  ATLANTIC,"  BALTIMORE  AND  OHIO 
RAILROAD,  1832 


PRIMITIVE  RAILROAD  CONTRIVANCES     281 


a  stout  cord  from  the  rear  car  to  the  engine ;  at 
the  end  of  the  cord  was  a  billet  of  wood.  Instruc 
tions  were  given  to  the  engineer  that  the  jerking 
of  the  billet  would  be  a  signal  to  stop  the  train. 
The  engineer  did  not  fancy  the  innovation,  so  he 
disconnected  the  cord  and  refused  to  replace  it 
till  the  conductor 
beat  him  in  a 
wrestling  match. 
From  the  billet 
of  wood  to  the 
gong  at  the  en 
gineer's  elbow  was 
an  easy  step. 

For  some  time 
after  the  intro 
duction  of  the 
telegraph,  there 
was  no  system 
of  giving  train 
orders.  The  rule  was  that  all  eastbound  and  north 
bound  trains  had  the  right  of  way.  When  the 
favored  train  was  late  a  westbound  or  southbound 
train  had  to  wait.  After  an  hour  it  was  allowed  to 
proceed,  but  only  slowly.  A  flagman  had  to  walk 
twenty  minutes  ahead  of  such  a  train.  Imagine 
the  result  when  a  train  was  several  hours  late. 


'THE  COSTELL,"  BALTIMORE  AND  OHIO 
RAILROAD,  1831 


282      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

When  the  Chicago  and  Galena  Union  Railroad 
was  opened,  there  was  a  lookout  station  in  the 
tower  of  the  Chicago  terminus,  manned  by  an 
employee  with  a  telescope.  With  this  he  scanned 
the  prairies,  and  when  he  discovered  the  smoke 
of  an  approaching  train,  he  called  on  the  station 
men  to  prepare  to  receive  it. 

When  more  modern  methods  were  proposed, 
the  train  crews  murmured,  but  they  soon  realized 
the  advantage  of  new  plans. 

Source.  CHARLES  FREDERICK  CARTER.  When  Railroads  were 
New.  Henry  Holt  and  Company,  New  York. 


At  first  the  thought  of  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Pacific  coast  seemed  an  idle  dream.  Capitalists  declared  that  such 
a  road  could  never  pay  expenses.  But  there  were  men  of  vision, 
determined  men ;  obstacles  in  their  way  merely  spurred  them  to 
new  efforts.  And  the  dream  came  true. 


CHAPTER  XLl 

THE  FIRST  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILROAD 

When  gold  was  discovered  in  California  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  men  were  eager  to  find  their  way 
thither.  Some  went  by  sea,  around  Cape  Horn ; 
others  went  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama; 
while  many  crossed  the  plains.  Whatever  route 
was  chosen,  there  were  dangers  to  be  faced  —  the 
storms  of  a  perilous  passage,  the  fever-breecling 
air  of  the  tropics,  or  the  attacks  of  prowling  bands 
of  Indians. 

Railroad  men  watched  the  going  and  coming  of 
men  by  these  three  routes,  and  wished  that  they 
might  profit  by  the  movement  of  such  a  large 
number  of  people  and  their  baggage.  At  first  they 
said  it  was  impossible  to  build  a  railroad  across  the 
trackless  plains  of  the  West.  Then  they  began  to 
wish  they  could  do  it.  At  last  they  decided  to 

attempt    the    impossible. 

283 


284      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

Some  people  did  no  more  than  talk  about  the 
great  work  to  be  done.  While  they  talked  others 
were  studying  the  country,  looking  for  the  best 
route  for  the  road  they  believed  would  some  day 
drive  out  of  business  the  Pony  Express  and  the 
freight  wagons. 

The  expense  of  building  such  a  road  would  be 
so  great  that  the  help  of  the  United  States  govern 
ment  was  needed.  Congress  was  therefore  asked 
for  assistance,  and  it  was  decided  to  offer  the  road 
builders  sixteen  thousand  dollars  in  bonds  and  ten 
sections  of  public  land  along  the  line  of  the  road 
for  every  mile  completed.  Later  this  subsidy  was 
increased  to  twenty  sections  per  mile,  and  large 
amounts  in  bonds,  according  to  the  difficulty  of  the 
work  done. 

Two  companies  were  organized  to  do  the  work  — 
the  Central  Pacific  Railway,  which  began  to  build 
eastward  from  Sacramento,  the  capital  city  of 
California,  and  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  which 
built  westward  from  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

Very  soon  the  new  project  was  called  the  overland 
route.  The  name  is  credited  to  a  San  Francisco 
German  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  railroad. 
It  was  his  habit  to  ask  every  stranger  who  came 
to  the  city  during  the  days  of  the  gold  excitement, 
"  Did  you  come  the  Horn  around,  the  Isthmus 


FIRST  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILROAD     285 

across,  or  the  land  over  ?  "  When  the  railway  was 
begun  it  was  called  the  land-over  route.  Very  natu 
rally  this  was  soon  changed  to  the  overland  route. 

There  were  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the 
railway  builders.     The  eastern    railways   were    not 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  TRANSPORTATION  IN  FOUR  STAGES 

Juniata  River,  with  rowboat ;  Pennsylvania  State  Canal,  with  barge  ;  Penn 
sylvania  Railroad,  original  roadbed ;  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  modern 

roadbed 

(Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum) 

completed  to  Council  Bluffs,  and  all  material  for 
the  new  road  had  to  be  taken  across  country  or 
up  the  Missouri  River.  Construction  machinery 
for  the  western  end  of  the  line  was  shipped 
round  Cape  Horn.  The  first  locomotive  used  for 
a  construction  train  on  the  Central  Pacific  was 


286      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

hauled  across  country  by  horses.  There  were  no 
trees  along  many  miles  of  the  proposed  route ;  ties, 
bridge  timbers,  and  material  for  buildings  were 
carried  at  great  expense  for  hundreds  of  miles.  It 
is  said  that  many  of  the  ties  had  cost  as  much  as 
$2.50  each  by  the  time  they  were  put  in  place. 

But  the  greatest  difficulty  was  caused  by  the 
Indians.  At  first  the  builders  of  the  Union  Pacific 
had  no  trouble  with  the  children  of  the  plains,  for 
they  made  a  treaty  with  them  by  which  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Omaha  was  secured.  But  later 
the  Indians  opposed  the  progress  of  the  road  almost 
daily.  They  turned  up  when  they  were  least  ex 
pected.  They  would  either  shoot  at  the  workmen 
from  ambush  or  make  an  open  attack  on  them. 
They  would  pull  up  the  surveyors'  stakes  and  burn 
them.  They  delighted  to  burn  station  buildings. 

Charles  Frederick  Carter  has  told  of  a  party  of 
ten  railroad  men,  who,  when  they  were  attacked  by 
Indians,  unwisely  sought  shelter  in  a  clump  of 
sagebrush,  some  five  hundred  feet  distant.  The 
sagebrush  afforded  no  protection  to  the  hunted 
men,  but  it  provided  a  cover  under  which  the 
Indians  could  creep  up  on  them. 

Before  night  the  red  men  had  succeeded  in 
killing  some  of  the  party ;  three  only  managed  to 
escape  in  the  darkness. 


FIRST  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILROAD     287 

The  first  attempts  made  by  the  Indians  to  stop 
trains  were  unsuccessful,  for  they  did  not  realize 
the  power  of  a  locomotive.  Once  sixty  braves, 
thirty  on  each  side  of  the  track,  tried  to  halt  a 
train  by  stretching  a  lariat  before  it.  Failure  in 


DRIVING  THE  LAST  SPIKE.     UNION  PACIFIC  AND  CENTRAL  PACIFIC 
RAILROADS,  MAY,  1869,   PROMONTORY,  UTAH 

such  attempts  led  them  to  take  more  effective 
measures.  Obstructions  wrere  placed  on  the  track, 
trains  were  wrecked,  and  many  men  were  killed. 
There  were  so  many  attacks  on  trains  that 
soldiers  were  detailed  to  guard  the  tracks.  Fre 
quently  the  cunning  savages  eluded  the  guards; 


288      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

more  than  once,  however,  wreckers  were  surprised 
in  the  midst  of  their  fiendish  work.  One  day 
General  G.  M.  Dodge  was  with  his  soldiers  at  Plum 
Creek,  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha,  when 
word  reached  him  that  a  freight  train  had  been 
captured  a  few  miles  east  of  that  station.  An 
engine  was  coupled  to  a  car  in  which  volunteers 
had  been  crowded,  and  the  scene  of  the  attack  was 
reached  before  the  Indians  realized  their  danger. 
Few  of  the  savages  escaped. 

Effective  help  in  protecting  the  road  was  given 
by  Major  Frank  J.  Nott,  who  engaged  four  com 
panies  of  Pawnee  Indians.  With  the  aid  of  these 
scouts  the  plans  of  the  Cheyennes  and  the  Sioux 
were  very  often  discovered  in  time  to  warn  the 
laborers  of  threatened  danger. 

Finally  General  Grant  led  troops  into  the  dis 
puted  country  and  made  peace  with  the  Indians. 
The  treaty  guaranteed  to  the  railway  builders  the 
right  to  go  on  with  their  work. 

The  road  was  begun  early  in  1863,  but  it  was 
May  10,  1869,  before  the  last  rail  was  laid  and  the 
last  spike  was  driven.  At  first  progress  was  slow, 
but  later  the  work  was  done  rapidly.  The  builders 
of  the  Central  Pacific  naturally  wished  the  meeting 
point  to  be  as  far  east  as  possible,  and  the  builders 
of  the  Union  Pacific  were  just  as  eager  that  it 


FIRST  TRANSCONTINENTAL  RAILROAD     289 

should    be   as  far  west  as  possible,  for  each   mile 
meant   a  small   fortune  from   the  government. 

As  the  two  roads  came  closer  together,  excite 
ment  was  great.  Newspapers  sent  their  best  corre 
spondents  to  the  front,  commissioned  to  prepare 
picturesque  stories  of  the  contest.  Every  morning 
readers  watched  eagerly  for  the  report  of  the  prog 
ress  made  the  day  before  by  the  rival  builders. 
And  when  the  news  was  flashed  that  at  last  the 
golden  spike  had  been  driven  —  at  Promontory, 
Utah  —  there  was  widespread  rejoicing.  The  gap 
of  1800  miles  had  been  closed,  and  at  last  it 
was  possible  to  ride  by  rail  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific. 

Sources.  CHARLES  FREDERICK  CARTER.  When  Railroads  were 
New.  Henry  Holt  and  Company,  New  York. 

TALBOT.  The  Railroad  Conquest  of  the  World.  J.  B.  Lippincott 
Company,  Philadelphia. 


:^^>tVLA\VJV^V^WAVVMkj'MWA^ 


After  the  railroad,  the  telegraph.  The  conquest  of  time  and 
space  was  not  yet  complete.  Modern  business  called  for  yet  more 
speedy  means  of  communication.  Once  more  a  man  of  vision 
came  forward ;  and  once  more  the  man  of  vision  conquered  the 
obstacles  in  his  path. 


CHAPTER  XLII 

THE  STORY   OF  THE  TELEGRAPH 

In  1832  a  young  man  named  Samuel  F.  B. 
Morse  was  returning  on  the  ship  Sully  from  Europe, 
where  he  had  been  studying  art,  to  which  he  had 
planned  to  devote  his  life.  But  his  thoughts  were 
turned  in  a  different  direction  by  what  seemed  to 
be  an  accident.  A  chance  conversation  about  the 
mysteries  of  electricity  led  him  to  wonder  if  words 
might  not  be  sent  by  electricity.  Before  the  voyage 
was  over  he  had  thought  out  a  system  of  signs. 

To  the  captain  of  the  ship  he  remarked  one  day, 
"  Well,  if  you  hear  of  the  telegraph  one  of  these 
days  as  the  wonder  of  the  world,  remember  that  the 
discovery  was  made  on  board  the  good  ship  Sully." 

As  soon  as  he  landed  he  began  to  make  experi 
ments.  Many  times  he  was  forced  to  turn  from  these 
while  he  earned  money  for  expenses  by  working  as 

an  artist.   In  1835  ^e  set  UP  h*5  first  ru^e  apparatus. 

290 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  TELEGRAPH       291 


He  cooked,  ate,  and  slept  in  the  room  with  his  model, 
not  only  because  he  was  poor,  but  because  he  wanted 
to  give  every  possible  moment  to  his  invention. 

For  years  he  worked,  trying  first  one  plan  and 
then  another,  and  then  beginning  all  over  again. 
Friends  told  him  he  would  never  succeed,  but 
he  answered : 
"If  I  can  suc 
ceed  in  work 
ing  a  magnet 
ten  miles,  I 
can  go  round 
the  globe." 

One  of  his 
students,  who 
witnessed  an 
early  experi 
ment  with  the  telegraph,  described,  in  the  following 
words,  the  primitive  appliances  used : 

I  can  see  now  that  rude  instrument  constructed  with  an 
old  stretching  frame,  a  wooden  clock,  a  home-made  battery, 
and  the  wire  stretched  many  times  round  the  walls  of  the 
studio.  With  eager  interest  we  gathered  about  it,  as  our 
master  explained  its  operation,  while  with  a  clock,  click,  click, 
the  pencil,  by  a  succession  of  dots  and  lines,  recorded  the 
message  in  cipher.  The  idea  we  knew,  but  we  had  little 
faith.  To  us  it  seemed  a  dream  of  enthusiasm.  We  grieved 
to  see  the  sketch  on  the  canvas  untouched. 


RECORDING  INSTRUMENT  ON  WHICH  THE  FIRST 
TELEGRAPHIC  MESSAGE  WAS  RECEIVED 


292      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

When  the  invention  was  perfected,  it  was  pat 
ented  in  the  United  States  and  in  France,  although 
the  application  for  patent  had  been  refused  in 
England  on  the  ground  that  the  invention  was  not 
new.  Congress  was  requested  to  appropriate  thirty 
thousand  dollars  for  the  construction  of  a  trial  line, 
but  there  was  vexatious  delay.  In  1842  Morse  wrote : 

I  have  not  a  cent  in  the  world.  I  am  crushed  for  want 
of  means.  ...  I  fear  all  will  fail  because  I  am  too  poor  to 
risk  the  trifling  expenses  which  my  journey  to  and  residence 
in  Washington  will  cost  me.  .  .  .  Nothing  but  the  conscious 
ness  that  I  have  an  invention  which  is  to  mark  an  era  in 
human  civilization,  and  which  is  to  contribute  to  the  happi 
ness  of  millions,  would  have  sustained  me  through  so  many 
and  such  lengthened  trials  of  patience  in  perfecting  it. 

In  spite  of  poverty,  further  experiments  were 
made,  one  of  these  resulting  in  a  test  of  the  first 
submarine  telegraph,  a  line  two  miles  long  being 
laid  in  New  York  harbor,  another  resulting  in  the 
knowledge  that  several  currents  of  electricity  could 
pass  on  the  same  wire  at  the  same  time. 

Finally,  on  February  27,  1843,  by  the  narrow  mar 
gin  of  89  to  83,  the  appropriation  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars  for  a  trial  line  passed  the  House  of  Repre 
sentatives.  But  it  seemed  certain  that  the  Senate 
would  not  concur.  Two  hours  before  the  close  of 
the  session  the  inventor  went  home  disheartened. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  TELEGRAPH       293 

He  passed  a  sleepless  night,  thinking  of  the  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  cents  he  would  have  when  he 
reached  New  York,  a  disappointed  man.  Early  in 
the  morning,  however,  he  had  a  call  from  Miss 
Annie  Ellsworth,  daughter  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Patents,  who  brought  word  that  the  bill  was  the 
last  passed  at  the  session.  The  gratified  inventor 
promised  her  that  she  should  send  the  first  mes 
sage  over  the  trial  line  from  Baltimore  to  Washing 
ton.  When,  a  year  later,  the  line  was  ready  for 
operation,  she  sent  the  historic  message,  trans 
mitted  by  the  inventor,  "What  hath  God  wrought?" 
A  few  days  later,  when  Silas  Wright  was  nomi 
nated  for  Vice  President  by  the  Democratic 
Convention  in  session  at  Baltimore,  word  was  tele 
graphed  to  Mr.  Wright  in  Washington,  who  at 
once  wired  his  answer,  declining  the  nomination. 
The  convention  would  not  believe  that  a  message 
had  so  soon  been  sent  and  the  response  correctly 
received  till  a  delegation  was  sent  all  the  way  to 
Washington  to  learn  the  truth. 

The  trial  line  was  opened  for  business  in  1845, 
the  price  for  messages  being  a  cent  for  four  let 
ters.  Within  six  months  the  Magnetic  Telegraph 
Company  constructed  a  line  from  Philadelphia  to 
Norristown,  a  distance  of  seventeen  miles,  and  in 
June,  1846,  this  was  continued  to  Baltimore. 


294      REAL  STORIES   FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

Years  passed  before  capitalists  were  ready  to 
invest  large  amounts  in  new  lines.  It  was  difficult 
to  convince  them  that  the  invention  was  practical. 
Gradually,  however,  traffic  increased.  Messages  that 
began  with  "  Dear  Sir "  and  closed  with  "  Yours 
truly  "  gave  way  to  more  concise  communications. 
By  1852  the  telegraph  had  won  its  place. 

In  1853  there  were  twenty-five  thousand  miles 
of  wire  in  America.  To-day  there  are  in  operation 
in  the  United  States  more  than  a  million  and  a 
half  miles  of  lines. 

Sources.  JEANS.  Lives  of  the  Electricians.  Whittaker  and  Co., 
London. 

EDWARD  LIND  MORSE.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  His  Letters  and 
Journals.  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston. 


mj^^^ 


After  the  telegraph  came  the  telephone.  The  first  telephone 
company  ventured  to  promise  that  the  voice  of  a  subscriber  could 
be  heard  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  Nearly  everybody  doubted. 
Now  the  voice  can  be  transmitted  more  than  three  thousand  miles. 
And  the  world  waits  confidently  for  further  triumphs. 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

THE  MARVELOUS  HISTORY  OF  THE 
TELEPHONE 

The  invention  of  the  telephone  was  one  of  the 
accidents  which  have  enabled  keen-witted  scientists, 
while  carrying  on  investigations  of  an  entirely 
different  nature,  to  give  to  the  world  an  undreamed 
of  and  epoch-making  discovery.  Alexander  Graham 
Bell  was  making  experiments,  hoping  to  learn 
some  new  facts  bearing  on  the  problem  how  to 
transmit  many  messages  at  the  same  time  over  a 
single  wire.  One  day  a  wire,  snapping  in  two, 
sent  a  sound  through  another  wire  which  had  at 
tached  to  each  end  a  thin  sheet-iron  disk  a  few 
inches  in  circumference.  Could  that  sound  be 
repeated  ?  Experiment  gave  an  affirmative  answer. 
Then  arose  the  important  query,  "  Could  vocal 
sounds  be  transmitted  thus  ? "  A  parchment  dia 
phragm  with  a  sheet-iron  button  in  the  center 

295 


296      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 

was  stretched  across  the  mouth  of  a  thin  metal 
cylinder  about  three  inches  in  diameter.  A  look 
inside  that  metal  tube  would  have  shown  us 
features  not  unknown  in  to-day's  perfected  receiver, 
two  magnets  with  poles  wound  with  wire,  and 


AN  EARLY  TELEPHONE  SWITCHBOARD 

The  calls  were  received  by  the  man  at  the  desk  in  the  foreground, 
who  passed  them  on  to  the  operators 

(From  the  Scientific  American,  1879) 

between  the  magnets  a  small  strip  of  soft  iron. 
A  similar  instrument,  with  a  wire  running  from 
its  coils,  was  left  in  charge  of  Bell's  assistant, 
while  Bell,  with  the  wire  connected  with  his  tubu 
lar  iron-cased  telephone,  ascended  to  the  attic  of 
his  house.  The  assistant,  an  intelligent  young 
man,  was  directed  to  remain  below.  Bell,  holding 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  TELEPHONE     297 

the  diaphragm  a  few  inches  from  his  lips,  said  in 
ordinary  conversational  tones,  "  Can  you  hear  me  ?  " 
In  a  moment  the  assistant  came  bounding  up 
the  stairs.  "  Mr.  Bell!"  he  called  out,  "I  heard 


A  MODERN  BELL-TELEPHONE  SWITCHBOARD 

your  question  plainly."    The  first  experiment  in  the 
transmission  of  articulate  speech  was  a  success. 

Much  further  experimentation  was  necessary 
before  the  instrument  was  ready  for  demonstration 
to  the  Patent  Office.  Finally,  the  application  was 
made,  and  on  March  7,  1876,  a  patent  was  granted. 
This  was  just  before  the  Philadelphia  Centennial 
Exhibition. 


298      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


SALEM   TO   BOSTON 

The  first  long-distance  use  of  the  telephone 
(From  the  Scientific  American,  March  31,  1877) 

How  Bell's  invention  came  to  be  included  among 
the  exhibits  is  another  interesting  story: 

In  June,  1876,  Bell  was  engaged  to  be  married  to  the 
daughter  of  Gardiner  G.  Hubbard,  a  wealthy  Bostonian. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Hubbard  was  residing  temporarily  in 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  TELEPHONE     299 

Philadelphia,  having  been  appointed  one  of  the  Massachu 
setts  commissioners  to  the  Centennial.  Miss  Hubbard  and 
her  mother  decided  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and  invited  Bell  to 
accompany  them.  He,  however,  felt  obliged  to  remain  in 


PHILADELPHIA  TO  SAN   FRANCISCO 

A  scene  in  Philadelphia  on  February  n,  1915,  when  telephone  service 
was  inaugurated  between  Philadelphia  and  the  Pacific  coast.  The  old 
Liberty  Bell  in  Independence  Hall  was  rung  over  the  line.  In  the  oval  is 
shown  the  Liberty  Bell,  which  was  struck  with  three  wooden  mallets.  The 
tones  were  transmitted  to  the  transcontinental  line  by  means  of  the  three 
microphone  telephone  receivers  shown  side  by  side,  just  beneath  the  bell 

Boston,  as  he  was  principal  of  a  school  there  for  deaf 
mutes,  and  examination  days  were  approaching.  He  had 
escorted  the  ladies  to  their  train  and,  standing  near  by,  was 
waiting  for  it  to  steam  out  on  its  journey  to  Philadelphia. 


300      REAL  STORIES  FROM   OUR  HISTORY 

As  the  train  started  Miss  Hubbard,  overcome  by  disappoint 
ment,  burst  into  tears.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  Bell 
leaped  back  on  the  train,  though  he  was  utterly  unprovided 
for  the  trip.  His  trunks  were  forwarded  to  him  in  Phila 
delphia  by  his  future  brother-in-law,  William  Hubbard. 
That  young  gentleman,  wise  beyond  his  age,  was  an  enthu 
siastic  believer  in  the  telephone,  and  took  care  to  put  the 
latest  model  of  it  in  a  corner  of  the  strongest  trunk. 

By  Mr.  Gardiner  Hubbard's  advice,  Mr.  Bell  applied  for 
permission  to  place  his  instrument  among  the  electrical  ex 
hibits  of  the  Centennial.  It  was  toward  the  close  of  a 
fatiguing  day  when  the  judges  reached  the  telephone.  Their 
examination  of  it  was  hurried  and  perfunctory.  One  cf  them 
would  not  take  the  trouble  to  put  the  receiver  to  his  ear. 
Another  judge  dropped  a  disparaging  remark  as  he  took  out 
his  note-book.  Bell's  heart  sank.  At  that  moment,  Dom 
Pedro,  Emperor  of  Brazil,  entered  the  room,  followed  by 
his  suite.  Himself  a  scientist  of  no  mean  ability,  the  em 
peror  had  examined  with  interest  and  admiration  the  tele 
phone  in  Bell's  school  in  Boston.  He  remembered  the 
young  inventor,  shook  hands  with  him,  and  requested  another 
trial  of  the  instrument.  Bell  went  to  the  other  end  of  the 
wire  and  spoke  into  the  transmitter  Hamlet's  famous  soliloquy. 
Dom  Pedro's  commendation  changed  the  minds  of  the 
judges.  The  "toy"  was  allowed  to  goon  exhibition.  Doubt 
less  it  would  amuse  visitors.  That  it  was  of  no  practical 
value  was,  after  all,  a  minor  objection.  So  reasoned  those 
learned  personages.  .  .  .  The  telephone  turned  out  to  be 
the  Centennial's  star  exhibit,  eliciting  unmeasured  praise  not 
only  from  distinguished  scientists,  but  from  all  other  visitors 
capable  of  understanding  the  theory  of  its  operation. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  TELEPHONE     301 

In  1877  the  telephone  was  first  used,  and  the 
first  prospectus  of  the  Bell  Company  was  issued. 
In  this  the  statement  was  made,  "The  proprietors 
are  now  prepared  to  furnish  telephones  for  the 
transmission  of  articular  speech  between  instru 
ments  not  more  than  twenty  miles  apart."  The 
next  year  the  first  long-distance  line,  from  Boston 
to  Salem,  sixteen  miles,  was  constructed,  and  the 
first  telephone  exchange  was  established.  In  1880 
the  second  long-distance  line  was  put  in  operation, 
between  Boston  and  Lowell.  Soon  it  became  pos 
sible  to  talk  between  stations  one  hundred  miles 
apart.  The  line  between  Boston  and  New  York 
was  not  opened  until  1887,  a  little  later  than 
the  four-hundred-mile  circuit  connecting  New  York, 
Albany,  and  Buffalo.  The  first  message  was  sent 
from  New  York  to  Chicago  in  1892,  though  the 
line  was  not  opened  until  1893.  In  J9OO  a  Boston 
merchant  could  talk  to  a  correspondent  in  Omaha. 
The  next  step  was  taken  when  conversation  with 
Denver  was  possible.  In  1915  New  York  mer 
chants  were  able  to  transact  business  over  the 
telephone  with  San  Francisco  customers. 

Source.  JOHN  VAUGHN.  The  Thirtieth  Anniversary  of  a  Great 
Invention.  Scribner's  Magazine,  September,  1906. 


INDEX 


(Asterisks  (*)  refer  to  illustrations) 


Alamo,  the,  130* 

Alleghenies,  crossing  the,  144,  259*, 
266* 

Allen,  Horatio,  buys  locomotive  in 
England,  256;  tries  Stourbridge 
Lion,  257  ;  chief  engineer  of 
Charleston  and  Hamburg  Rail 
road,  264 

Arbella,  voyage  of  the,  3 

Audubon,  John  James,  128;  visits 
republic  of  Texas,  128 

Baldwin,  Matthias,  builder  of  "  Old 
Ironsides,"  269 

Barnum,  P.  T.,  proposes  to  exhibit 
gold  from  California,  195 

Bartram,  John,  garden  and  house  of, 
60,  61*;  self-taught,  61  ;  how  he 
learned  botany,  62  ;  journeys  of, 
62  ;  narrow  escape  from  Indians, 
62  ;  cypress  planted  by,  63*,  64 

Beale, Edward  Fitzgerald,  firstbearer 
of  gold  to  the  East,  191  ;  pays  for 
gold  with  quinine,  192  ;  proposes 
camels  for  desert  transportation, 
201 

Bell,  Alexander  Graham,  inventor 
of  the  telephone,  295 

Boys,  at  school,  38  ;  occupations  of, 
44 ;  assistants  to  whalers,  86 ; 
drivers  on  canals,  156 

Brainerd,  David,  goes  to  house  of 
Jonathan  Edwards,  72  ;  preaches 
to  Indians,  72*;  death  of,  73 

Bride's  first  railroad  trip  and  what 
came  of  it,  267 

Building  towns,  16,  52 

Buildings,  primitive:  houses,  15,  17— 
23,  45,  57,  61,  129,  130;  churches, 


29-37;  schoolhouses,  38, 39*,  41*, 
43*  ;  courthouse,  56* ;  gristmill, 
119*;  Alamo,  130* 

Burke,  Edmund,  speech  on  whal 
ing,  89 

Burr,  Aaron,  Sr.,  marries  Esther 
Edwards,  74;  Aaron  Burr,  Jr.,  76 

California,  100,  169,  170.  Cities  in 
California  :  San  Francisco,  96  ; 
Sutler's  Fort,  187,  191 ;  San  Jose, 
190;  San  Francisco  in  1849,  T93*> 
Sacramento,  197  ;  Placerville,  212 

Camel  corps,  202,  203*;  success  of 
first  trip,  205  ;  experiment  aban 
doned,  206 

Camels,  importation  of,  202  ;  feared 
by  soldiers,  206 

Canals :  Patowmack  Canal,  148*, 
149*,  150;  abandoned  canals,  153; 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  153; 
Erie  Canal,  154,  250;  accounts  of 
canal  trips,  157,  159,  160;  com 
parison  of  railroad  and  canal,  251 

Carolina,  explorers  in,  24,  25,  26* 

Carson,  Kit,  companion  of  E.  F. 
Beale,  202 

Church,  going  to,  29  ;  foot  stoves  in, 
30,  31  ;  slaves  in,  30,  31  ;  first  iron 
stoves  in,  31;  pews  in,  32;  collec 
tion  in,  34;  notices  in,  34;  pulpit 
in,  34;  support  of,  35  ;  application 
for  membership  in,  49* 

Clay, -Henry,  statue  to,  164 

Clermont,  the,  Fulton's  steamboat, 
229,  233*;  speed  of,  229;  terror 
caused  by,  230 

Clothing,  of  the  pioneers,  12,  114 
184,  1 86;  of  Sam  Houston,  131 


3°3 


304      REAL  STORIES   FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


Colorado  :  Denver,  twenty-one  days 
to,  208 

Columbia  River,  Lewis  and  Clark 
spend  winter  at  rnouth  of,  102 

Conant,  A.  II.,  pioneer  in  northern 
Illinois,  116 

Connecticut,  13,  17,  18.  Cities  in 
Connecticut:  Hartford,  19,  23,  35, 
220;  Windsor,  20;  Farmington, 
21  ;  Saybrook,  32  ;  New  Haven, 

36>  HI 
Cooper,  Peter,  builds  Tom  Thumb 

locomotive,  260,  261 
Custer,  General,  211 

Davis,  Jefferson,  authorizes  camels 

for  the  desert,  202 
Delaware  :  Wilmington,  32 
Diaries,  letters,  and  journals:  John 
Audubon,  128;  E.  F.  Beale,  191; 
A.  H.  Conant,  1 16  ;  Eliza  Donner, 
169;  Margaret  Dwight,  141;  Esther 
Edwards,  71;  John  Fitch,  220; 
Elias  Pym  Fordham,  1 10  ;  Robert 
Fulton,  229  ;  William  Hilton,  24  ; 
Robert  Horns,  25;  Fanny  Kemble, 
159;  Zenas  Leonard,  95;  Miss 
Martineau,  159;  S.  F.  B.  Morse, 
292;  Rembrandt  Peale,  225;  Wil 
liam  Penn,  52  ;  Robert  Sandford, 
25;  Eliza  Southgate,  77;  George 
Washington,  147  ;  John  Winthrop, 

3-  I0 

Donner,  Eliza,  169;  adoption  of,  190 

Donner,  Frances,  178 

Donner,  Georgia,  174 

Donner  party,  journey  of,  to  Cali 
fornia,  169;  incidents  of  journey, 
172;  accident  to  Mr.  Donner,  175; 
starving  in  the  snow,  177,  180,  183; 
the  rescue,  183 

Dustin,  Hannah,  capture  of,  by  In 
dians  and  escape,  45-51 

Dustin,  Thomas,  builds  garrison 
house,  45;  instructions  to,  as 
keeper  of  garrison,  50 

Dustin  Memorial,  48* 

Dwight,  Margaret,  journey  of,  from 
New  Haven  to  Ohio,  141 

Dynamite,  fear  of,  125 


Earthquake  of  1811,  imperils  first 
steamboat  on  the  Ohio,  248 

Edwards,  Esther,  keeps  journal,  71 ; 
journey  to  Newark,  74  ;  love  song 
of,  74  ;  marriage  to  Aaron  Burr,  74 

Edwards,  Jerusha,  death  of,  73 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  71,  73 

Erie,  Lake,  98,  99,  217,  237 

Erie  Canal,  154;  equipment  for 
travel  on,  156;  packet  boat  on, 
156*;  trips  on,  157,  159,  160 

Explorers.  In  Carolina :  Thomas 
Ashe,  27  ;  William  Hilton,  24 ; 
Robert  Horns,  25;  Robert  Sand- 
ford,  25.  In  Massachusetts:  John 
Winthrop,  n.  In  the  West:  Ze 
nas  Leonard,  93;  Lewis  and  Clark, 
100;  George  Washington,  147, 148 

Fireflies,  described  by  explorers,  27 

First  trip,  of  stagecoach,  137  ;  of 
Fitch's  steamboat,  225;  of  the 
Clermont,  229;  of  the  North 
River,  231  ;  of  the  Walk-in-the- 
Water,  237  ;  of  the  New  Orleans, 
245 ;  of  the  Stourbridge  Lion,  257 ; 
of  the  Best  Friend  of  Charleston, 
265 

Fitch,  John,  220;  early  life  of,  221  ; 
first  steamboat,  222*;  has  first 
idea  of  steamboat,  224  ;  trial  trip 
of  first  steamboat,  225;  third 
steamboat,  model  of  1788,  226*; 
fails  to  secure  rights,  227;  death 
of,  228 

Floating  islands,  121 

Floods,  on  Mississippi  River,  106; 
on  Red  River,  124 

Florida,  62,  98 

Foot  stoves,  in  church,  31 

Fordham,  Elias  Pym,  journey  of,  to 
Illinois,  no 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  visits  Bartram's 
garden,  64  ;  autobiography  of,  66 ; 
proposes  subscription  library,  66 

Freighting  on  the  plains,  207,  208* ; 
magnitude  of  traffic,  210  ;  charges 
for  transporting  goods,  211 

Fulton,  Robert,  builds  Clermont, 
229  ;  at  Pittsburgh,  243 


INDEX 


305 


Furniture,  primitive,  20,  31,  32,  43*, 

68,  114,  117,  120,  144 
Fur  traders,  93,  217 

Gallatin,  Albert,  conceives  National 
Road,  163 

Gold,  discovery  of,  187,  191  ;  pro 
posal  to  exhibit,  by  P.  T.  Barnum, 

T95 

Grant,  General  U.  S.,  helps  builders 
of  first  transcontinental  railroad, 
288 

Great  Lakes,  98,  213;  first  sailing 
vessel  on,  213;  steamboats  on, 
236,  239* 

Griffon,  building  of  the,  215*;  launch 
ing  of,  217;  loss  of,  219 

Hardships  of  pioneers,  8-13,  47,  69, 
73,  94,  95,  105,  116-120,  176 

Hennepin,  Father,  214,  215,  219 

Holliday,  Ben,  the  most  famous  of 
the  freighters,  212 

Houses  of  colonists  :  cellar-house, 
17, 18*;  Talcott's,  18;  Whitman's, 
21  ;  Mantion  House,  23;  Whit 
ing's,  23 ;  Dustin's,  45,  46* ;  Le- 
titia  Penn's,  57* 

Houston,  Sam,  president  of  Texas, 
127;  portrait  of,  128*;  house  of, 
130;  described,  131 

Hudson,  Henry,  model  of  ship  of,  6* 

Hudson  Bay,  99 

Huron,  Lake,  99,  213 

Illinois,  immigrant's  journey  to,  1 10; 
pioneer  life  in,  116;  start  of  Don- 
ner  party  from  Springfield,  170. 
Cities  in  Illinois  :  Albion,  begin 
ning  of,  115;  Chicago,  117 

Immigration,  to  Indiana,  1 10  ;  to  Il 
linois,  no;  to  Ohio,  141  ;  by  Erie 
Canal,  155;  to  California,  169; 
number  of  immigrants  crossing 
plains,  207,  208 

Impressions  of  America,  first,  7,  10, 
11,  24,  25,  27,  52,  54,  59 

Indiana:  Princeton,  114;  canals  in 
Indiana,  155;  Indianapolis,  164, 
167 


Indians,  friendliness  of,  13  ;  fear  of, 
14;  village  of,  14*;  fortifications 
against,  1 5, 16,  50, 1 1 5 ;  Winthrop's 
adventure  with,  1 5 ;  explorer's 
visit  to  cacique,  26;  on  guard 
against,  36,  37  ;  Hannah  Dustin's 
adventures  with,  45  ;  instructions 
for  garrison  keeper,  50;  described 
by  William  Penn,  54,  55,  56,  59; 
escape  of  John  Bartram  from,  62  ; 
Brainerd  preaches  to,  72*;  Jona 
than  Edwards  among,  73;  instruct 
colonists  in  whaling,  85  ;  fur  trad 
ers'  escape  from,  95 ;  goods  for 
barter  with,  101  ;  friendly  Sho- 
shones,  102 ;  Lewis  and  Clark's 
treatment  of,  102  ;  in  republic  of 
Texas,  129;  immigrants  killed  by, 
169;  Donner's  Indian  guide,  179; 
and  overland  freighters,  211;  help 
La  Salle,  215;  hinder  La  Salle, 
216;  and  the  steamboat,  238,  248; 
and  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  287, 
288 

Islands,  floating,  121 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  41*,  102,  163 

Kansas:  Atchison,  212 
Kentucky  :  Louisville,  244,  248 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  invited  to 
use  library,  70 ;  Washington's 
letter  to,  147 

La  Salle,  214,  218,  219 

Leonard,  Zenas,  fur  trader,  at  Santa 
Fe,  94 ;  escapes  from  Indians,  95 ; 
reaches  San  Francisco,  96 

Lewis  and  Clark,  explorations  of, 
100,  101* 

Library,  first  in  America,  66 ;  used 
as  hospital  by  the  British,  69 

Livingston,  Chancellor,  Fulton's 
partner,  231  ;  at  Pittsburgh,  243 

Locomotives :  early  calculation  of 
power  of,  251 ;  Stourbridge  Lion, 
257;  Tom  Thumb,  260*;  De  Witt 
Clinton,  264* ;  Best  Friend  of 
Charleston,  265 ;  "  Old  Ironsides," 
270*;  Traveler,  272*;  York,  272*; 


306      REAL  STORIES  EROM  OUR  HISTORY 


John  Bull,  277*;  Atlantic,  280*; 
Costell,  281* 

Long  Island,  13  ;  whale  fishing  on, 
86 

Louisiana,  description  of,  104 ;  settle 
ments  in,  104,  105 ;  the  Cabildo, 
108*.  Cities  in  Louisiana :  New 
Orleans  in  1803,  106*;  Shreve- 
port,  125 

Mail,  slow  transportation  of,  103, 
in;  from  Philadelphia  to  Lan 
caster,  136;  on  National  Road, 
167;  the  Pony  Express,  196; 
postage  charge  to  California,  197; 
portage  by  Pony  Express,  198 

Maryland :  governor  of  Maryland 
gives  reward  to  Hannah  Dustin, 
50;  Cumberland,  163 

Massachusetts,  3,  9,  10;  schoolgirl, 
in,  82.  Cities  in  Massachusetts : 
Boston,  9,  15,  19,  32;  Roxbury,  15, 
16;  Hingham,  37;  Dorchester,  40; 
Haverhill,  46 ;  Worcester,  47 ; 
Nan  tucket,  90,  91 

Michigan  :  Detroit,  224,  238 

Michigan,  Lake,  99,  217 

Mississippi :  Natchez,  244,  249 

Mississippi  River,  100,  102,  105, 106, 
164,  253 

Missouri:  St.  Louis,  93,  107,  167; 
St.  Joseph,  197 

Missouri  River,  99,  102,  208 ;  Lewis 
and  Clark  on,  101*;  starting  point 
of  freighters  for  California,  209 

Moll,  H.,  map  of  North  America 
by,  98 

Money,  substitutes  for:  tobacco,  35; 
wheat,  35,  69;  quinine,  192 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  inventor  of 
the  electric  telegraph,  290 

Mozeemlek  Country,  100 

National  Road,  purpose  of,  162 ;  pro 
vision  for,  163  ;  first  contracts  for, 
164;  progress  of,  164;  graded  to 
Vandalia,  Illinois,  165  ;  one  of  the 
massive  bridges  on,  165*;  total 
expenditure  for,  165;  success  of, 
1 66,  1 68;  relics  of,  167 


Nebraska:  Fort  Kearney,  207,  209 

New  Hampshire  :  Portsmouth,  36 ; 
Dover,  37 

New  Jersey :  roads  in  New  Jersey, 
142  ;  Burlington,  226,  227 

New  Orleans,  the,  first  Ohio  River 
steamboat,  243*;  completes  voy 
age,  249 

New  York:  Albany,  31,  34,  229,  231, 
233;  Kingston,  34,  35;  New  York 
City,  36,  250,  251,  252,  253;  Sche- 
nectady,36;  Herkimer,37;  Tarry- 
town,  37  ;  Saratoga  Springs,  84 ; 
Buffalo,  155,  240 

Niagara  Falls,  213,  214,  216* 

Occupations  of  pioneers,  45,  59,  60, 

73.  85>  93>  ."6 

Ohio,  canals  in,  1 55.  Cities  in  Ohio: 
Cincinnati,  1 12,  244,  246;  Warren, 
141;  Steubenville,  163;  Columbus, 
164 ;  Cleveland,  237 

Ohio  River,  102,  no,  164,  165, 
242 

Ontario,  Lake,  62,  215 

Oregon,  100 

Overland  transportation  :  length  of 
trip  by  Pony  Express,  197  ;  length 
of  trip  by  stage,  197  ;  freighting 
on  plains,  207  ;  length  of  trip  to 
Denver,  208 ;  speed  of  stage  and 
freighter  compared,  209 ;  first 
transcontinental  railroad,  283 ;  ori 
gin  of  name,  "  the  overland  route," 
284 

Parents  honored  by  daughters,  71, 

78,  80,  82,  84 

Patowmack  Company,  the,  advertise 
ment  for  stock  subscriptions,  1 50 ; 
builds  canal,  151,  152 
Peale,  Rembrandt,  letter  of,  about 

John  Fitch's  steamboat,  225 
Penn,  John,  gift  to  library,  67 
Penn,  Letitia,  house  of,  57* 
Penn,  William,  letter  of,  describing 
Pennsylvania,  52 ;  type  of  his  ship, 
Welcome,    53* ;    treaty    of,   with 
Indians,   54*;    Indians  described 
by,  55;  desk  of,  68* 


INDEX 


307 


Pennsylvania,  Penn's  letter  describ 
ing,  52;  canals  in,  155.  Cities  in 
Pennsylvania:  Philadelphia,  19, 
35,  37,  60,  64,  226,  251,  252,  269, 
271,  275;  Radnor,  29,  30;  Pitts 
burgh,  1 10,  in,  243,  244,  245, 
246;  Uniontown,  163;  Washing 
ton,  163 

Pilgrims,  company  of  the,  4*;  going 
to  church,  33* 

Pioneers,  hardships  of,  8-13,  47,  69, 
73,  94,  95,  105,  116,  120,  176;  sup 
plies  for,  12;  occupations  of,  45, 
59,  60,  73-85,93,  116 

Pony  Express,  post  schedule  of, 
197;  speed  of,  198;  rider  of,  199*; 
cost  of,  200 ;  results  of,  200 

Preacher,  a  pioneer,  119 

Quinine  used  to  buy  gold,  192 

Railroad,  that  was  not  built,  252; 
on  stilts,  254;  Delaware  and  Hud 
son,  256;  Baltimore  and  Ohio, 
tests  Tom  Thumb,  260;  Charleston 
and  Hamburg,  263  ;  horse-power 
railroads,  263  ;  experiment  in  sail 
power,  264 ;  bride  responsible  for 
Erie,  267  ;  Camden  and  Amboy, 
270;  uniform  gauge  in  (incon 
veniences  caused  by  lack  of,  277; 
opposition  to,  279 ;  adoption  of, 
280) ;  first  transcontinental  (build 
ing  of,  283 ;  difficulties  of  con 
struction  of,  286) 

Red  River  raft,  described,  122;  for 
mation  of,  122;  removal  of,  125 

Roads:  pioneer  roads,  112;  blazed 
roads,  113;  Lancaster  Pike,  134, 
135;  New  Jersey  roads,  142; 
National  Road,  161 

Roosevelt,  Nicholas,  studies  Ohio 
River  currents,  243  ;  Mrs.  Roose 
velt's  account  of  his  trip,  244 

Routes  taken  by  pioneers :  Zenas 
Leonard,  93 ;  Lewis  and  Clark, 
100;  Elias  Pym  Fordham,  110; 
A.  H.  Conant,  116 

St.  Lawrence  River,  99,  213,  224 
Sampler  of  Clarissa  Emerson,  Si* 


School,  boys  in,  38 ;  description  of 
early,  38,  42  ;  going  to,  38 ;  tuition, 
38;  heating,  39;  length  of  session, 
40 ;  rules  for  schoolmaster,  40,  4 1 ; 
Thomas  Jefferson's,  41*;  taxation 
for,  42 ;  girls  in,  43 ;  hornbook,  43 ; 
interior  of  colonial,  43* ;  New  Eng 
land  Primer,  43 

Schoolgirl,  a  colonial,  80 

Servants,  thieving,  8,  151 

Shreve,  Captain,  destroys  Red  River 
raft,  125 

Slaves  in  church,  30,  31 

South  Carolina  charters  first  steam 
railroad,  263 

Steamboats  :  Fitch's  first  steamboat, 
222*;  third  steamboat,  226*;  regu 
lar  trips  announced,  227;  the  Cler- 
mont,  229,  233*;  Fulton's  first 
experiment,  230* ;  later  Hudson 
River  boats,  232  ;  life  on  a  Hud 
son  River  boat,  232;  the  Walk-in- 
the-Water,  236,  239*;  the  New 
Orleans,  243*,  245 

Stoves,  foot,  in  church,  30,  31 ;  heat 
ing,  in  church,  31 ;  in  school,  39 

Success  (ship),  9 

Superior,  Lake,  99 

Talbot  (ship),  9 

Taverns,  primitive,  in,  113,  134, 
142,  143,  144 

Taxes,  for  fortifications,  16;  for 
schools,  42 

Telegraph,  Morse's  first  experi 
ments,  290,  291  ;  prophesied,  290  ; 
recording  instrument,  291*;  ap 
propriation  for  trial  line,  292 ; 
patent  issued,  292  ;  first  message, 
293  ;  rapid  growth,  294 

Telephone,  result  of  an  accident, 
295;  first  experiment,  296;  patent 
granted,  297  ;  how  it  came  to  be 
exhibited  at  Philadelphia  Centen 
nial,  298 ;  marvelous  development, 
301  ;  the  first  prospectus,  301 

Texas,  early  history  of,  127.  Cities 
in  Texas:  Galveston,  128;  Hous 
ton,  128,  129;  Indianola,  202;  El 
Paso,  204 ;  San  Antonio,  204 


308      REAL  STORIES  FROM  OUR  HISTORY 


Tobacco  used  as  currency,  35 

Town  building,  16,  52 

Transportation  by  land  (vehicles, 
etc.  used) :  horse,  74,  75*,  93,  112; 
phaeton  and  light  wagon,  no; 
Conestoga  wagon  described,  1 1 i*, 
139*;  movers'  wagon,  170,  171*; 
mail  coach,  163*,  166;  ponies,  197, 
199*;  camel,  203*,  204;  railway 
train,  257,  259*,  262,  264*,  266*, 

.    269,  273*,  276,  277*,  283 

Transportation  by  water  (vehicles, 
etc.  used):  ship,  3,  53*,  91*-,  213; 
canoe,  48 ;  whale  ship  and  boats, 
86*,  87,  90*,  91 ;  boats,  101*;  flat- 
boat,  112,  113*,  242;  skiff,  112; 
canal  boats,  154,  156*;  steamboat, 
222*,  225,  226*,  227,  229,  233*, 
236,  239*,  243*,  247*;  barge,  242; 
keel  boat,  242 

Travel :  coming  to  the  colonies,  3 ; 
Carolina  explorers,  24 ;  travels  of 
Hannah  Dustin,  47 ;  travels  of 
John  Bartram,  62 ;  Esther  Ed 
wards'  horseback  journey,  74,  75*; 
the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition, 
100;  immigrants  journey  to  Illi 
nois,  no;  Audubon's  journey  to 
Texas,  127;  accidents  of  travel, 
J34>  T35>  rates  of  fare,  137,  138, 
155,  197,  234;  Margaret  Dwight's 
trip  to  Ohio,  141  ;  by  canal,  157, 
159,  1 60;  the  Donnertrip  to  Cali 
fornia,  169 ;  Beale's  route,  San 
Francisco  to  Washington,  192 ; 
Pony  Express  route,  197;  camels 
in  the  desert,  202 ;  route  of 
freighters,  208 ;  route  to  avoid 
Niagara,  213;  first  trip  of  steam 
boat  on  the  Delaware,  225;  first 
trip  of  steamboat  on  the  Hudson, 
229;  first  trip  of  steamboat  on  the 
Great  Lakes,  237 ;  first  trip  of 
steamboat  on  the  Ohio,  245 


Utah  Territory,  slow  mail  to,  in  1858, 
196 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  rapid  transpor 
tation  of  his  message,  167 

Vanderbilt,  Cornelius,  owner  of 
steamboats,  233 

Virginia,  98,  147.  Cities  in  Virginia : 
Alexandria,  150;  Matildaville, 

iS1 

Visions  of  the  future,  Zenas  Leon 
ard's,  on  Pacific  coast,  96 ;  of 
Louisiana  territory,  109;  of  Red 
Rivercountry,  126;  George  Wash 
ington's,  148;  La  Salle's,  214; 
Hennepin's,  219;  Fitch's,  220, 
228;  early  railroad,  252,  262 

Walk-in-the-Water,  naming  of,  236 ; 

first  trip  of,  237  ;  picture  of,  239 ; 

wreck  of,  240 

Washington,  George,  visits  Bar- 
tram's  garden,  64 ;  thanks  library, 

68 ;    invited    to    use    library,   70 ; 

canal  builder,  147;  coach  of,  152*; 

signs    Fitch's    steamboat   patent, 

227 
Webster,  Daniel,  wins  freedom  of 

Hudson  River,  234 
West  Virginia  :  Wheeling,  163,  164, 

167;  Elm  Grove,  164 
Whale-fishing :   on  the  lookout  for 

whales,    87,    88;    extent   of,    89; 

Nantucket's  part  in,  90 ;  decline 

of,  92 
Whaler,  first  deep-sea  voyage  of,  88 ; 

first  to  take  Stars  and  Stripes  into 

English  port,  92 
Wheat  used  as  currency,  35,  69 
Wills  and  legacies,  19,  20 
Winthrop,  John,  3,  5,  6,  10,  15,  16; 

portrait,    11;    letters    of,    n,    12, 

!3 

Wisconsin:  Milwaukee,  219 


VB  30363 


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